Snow Emergency Starts Thursday Night; Town Buildings Closed Friday; Friday Trash Pickup Delayed

Photo: If it’s on the street Friday, you might see it going away

With a foot of snow ready to be dumped on the heads of residents, the town of Belmont has declared a snow emergency effective Thursday, Feb. 24 at 11:45 p.m. until the town says otherwise.

A parking ban will also be in effect for all roadways and municipal and school parking lots. If the town finds your vehicle in said areas, it will be towed at your expense.

Due to the expected inclement weather and unsafe road conditions, Belmont town offices and the Belmont Public Library will be closed on Friday, Feb. 25.

And due to the Presidents Day holiday, if your usual trash and recycling pick-up day of Thursday was pushed back a day, the snowstorm will give you the distinction of having your stuff removed on Saturday. The Department of Public Works is asking residents to keep barrels off the streets and sidewalk on Friday until the snow is removed. And be sure the trash and recycling is ready to go at 7 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.

Belmont Socked With More Than A Foot-And-A- Half Of Snow From Blizzard Of ‘22

Photo: It was a bomb of a storm Saturday with 19 inches of snow left behind

While not as bad as Boston and the South Shore, Belmont received its fair share of snow and wind from the “bomb cyclone” winter storm that sat over the town for the 24 hours of Saturday, Jan. 29.

According to the Department of Public Works, the Town of Homes received 19 inches of snow that left driving nearly impossible during the afternoon hours as 50 mph winds limited visibility.

Belmont Light reported a single large outage early in the storm when 811 customers on Horace, Gilbert, Slade and Creeley lost power at 7:30 a.m. The lights were restored in just under an hour.

While the near gale forced gusts swept over the town, there were no reports of any trees lost, “but several good size limbs come down or broke and were hanging,” said DPW Director Jay Marcotte, who said that 40 pieces of equipment between the town and the town’s contractors.

“Wind and temperatures were most challenging during this storm,” said Marcotte. “Light fluffy snow causes an overspray of snow that hits the windshield and would instantly freeze. [Our] drivers needed to constantly clear windshields and with the limited visibility, it slowed things down considerably.”

Since Sunday, “clean up is still ongoing and will commence for the next few days,” he said.

Vehicle Slips, Slides Into Art’s Specialties As Belmont Gets Hit By Storm

Photo: A vehicle took out two window at Trapelo Road’s Art’s Specialties. (Credit: Belmont Fire Dept.)

The National Weather Service said today’s snow storm would cause hazardous driving Monday night.

And a slick roadway under nearly six inches of snow resulted in a Toyota SUV slipping off the roadway and into Art’s Specialties at 369 Trapelo Rd. around 6:10 p.m., Feb. 1, according to the Belmont Fire Department.

No one was reportedly injured in the crash.

“Slick road conditions have caused several crashes this evening. Please stay off the roads unless necessary,” said a message on Belmont Fire’s Twitter feed.

Credit: Belmont Fire Department.

Belmont’s Snow Emergency Parking Ban Ends At 10 PM Thursday; Sidewalks Cleared By 8 PM Friday

Photo: Start diggin’

Belmont’s snow emergency parking ban will end effective at 10 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17, according to an email from the Department of Public Works.

Sidewalks Need To Be Cleared By 8 p.m. Friday

The Office of Community Development is reminding residents that Belmont’s residential snow removal bylaw requires sidewalks along residential property to be cleared of snow and ice by the day after a storm ends. With regards to today’s storm, snow and ice should be cleared or treated from sidewalks to a width of at least 36 inches by tomorrow night, Friday, Dec. 18. 

“We appreciate your attention to this very important public safety matter. Please refer to the town’s web site for further information regarding winter weather and the town’s snow removal bylaw,” said the OCD news release

If you have any questions, contact the Belmont Office of Community Development at 617-993-2650 during normal business hours.

No Big Surprise: Snow Storm Closes Belmont Schools Thursday; Townwide Parking Ban Starts At Midnight

Photo: Remote snow day

No big surprise here: There will be no school for all students on Thursday, Dec. 17, as a result of the winter storm.

“This means that there will be no remote learning and no in-person learning tomorrow and our buildings will be closed,” read a press release from Belmont Superintendent John Phelan.

Parking ban for Thursday

Due to the foot of snow expected from the storm, a SNOW EMERGENCY PARKING BAN has been declared for all roadways and municipal and Belmont Public School parking lots.

The ban goes into effect at midnight, Dec. 17, and will last until further notice, according to Michael Santoro, assistant director of the Department of Public Works.

All vehicles parked in violation of the ban will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Snow Storm Delays Thursday Trash/Recycling Pickup to Friday

Photo: Delayed a day

The approaching snowstorm set to dump more than a foot of snow onto Belmont Wednesday and Thursday has forced the town’s rubbish vendor Waste Management to delay by one day the trash and recycling collection scheduled on Thursday, Dec. 17, according to the town’s Department of Public Works.

The new pick up date is on Friday, Dec. 18.

The DPW is also asking residents to please keep trash and recycling barrels clear of roadways and sidewalks until snow removal is complete.

Photos: The Aftermath of Belmont’s Latest Winter Storm

Sunday’s winter storm brought Belmont to a halt as more than a foot of snow was deposited on top of five feet of snow that has fallen in the past three weeks.

Grrrrr! Burrrrr! More Snow, Coldest Temperatures This Weekend

Not only can Belmont residents expect the fourth winter storm in the past month to arrive this weekend, the snow misery will be matched up with bone-chilling cold.

The National Weather Service at 4:30 a.m. issued a Winter Storm Watch that will go into effect at 3 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, and remains through 7 p.m., Sunday, Feb 15.

The snow will begin Saturday afternoon with between 2 to 4 inches before briefly ending around 10 p.m. The main storm, with gusty winds and possible blizzard-like conditions, will begin after midnight, Sunday, and lasting until the late afternoon. By the end of the tempest, anywhere between 6 to 18 inches of snow is expected to fall.

The snow will be accompanied by frigid temperatures with highs on Sunday and Monday, President’s Day, Feb. 16, barely breaking into the teens with nighttime lows well below zero.

Belmont Schools Closed Monday, Emergency Parking Ban In Effect 6 PM Sunday

The instructions on shampoo bottles once had a familiar description: “Lather, rinse, repeat” which, if taken literally, would result in an endless loop of repeating the same steps.

In the past two weeks, it has appeared the Belmont has been in that endless loop as for the third time in two weeks, the town will effectively shut down due to yet another snow storm heading into eastern Massachusetts. 

  • The Belmont Public Schools will be closed on Monday, Feb. 9, due to the day-long  storm that is expected to drop up to a foot of snow on the town.
  • In addition, the Belmont Public Library and the Beech Street Center will be closed on Monday.
  • Beginning at 6 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 8, the town is declaring a snow emergency during which there will be a parking ban on on-street parking and in the three town municipal and six public school parking lots.
  • Trash and recycling pickup will occur on Monday despite the storm.