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By Alex Oliveira
Hometown Weekly Reporter
A winter storm passed through New England on the afternoon and night of Tuesday the 12th, blanketing Massachusetts, Dover, and Sherborn in a layer of snow, then soaking it with a mix of sleet and freezing rain.
According to the National Weather Service, three inches of snow fell across Dover and the surrounding towns. Only the second major snowfall of the season, totals for the 2018-2019 winter currently stand between 4 and 6 inches of accumulation.
The snow was scheduled to fall during the heart of the after school/rush hour commute, causing life to largely grind to a halt as regular events and programs were cancelled for the day. Businesses across the Boston area to encouraged employees to work from home or leave early, and early dismissals and cancellations of public schools reigned across the region. The Dover-Sherborn middle and high school were dismissed early at 1:15.
Snow line meets a slush pool.
After a few hours of heavy snowfall, temperatures slowly rose into the evening and night, changing the falling snow into a deluge of sleet and freezing rain that added weight to the accumulated snow and slicked over roadways. Wet, heavy snow could be felt in the lower backs of Dover-Sherborn residents as they shoveled their driveways and sidewalks, and the cars crept precariously home on Tuesday night.
The pace of life largely returned across Dover-Sherborn following the storm on Wednesday, the 13th, with public schools back in session without delay, and commutes cleared thanks to the efforts of state road crews and local plows. Some events, however, such as a Qigong class (it’s a variation of Tai Chi, which is a martial arts-based aerobic exercise) at the Council on Aging remained scheduled, but were cancelled due to poor attendance.
The Dover Historical Society hides behind a pile of plowed snow.
“Oh, it’s because of the storm,” said the Qigong instructor. “Even if things are clearing up, elderly residents don’t always want to be out an about yet.”
Though things remain wet and moving slowly, the storm did leave one wholly positive benefit: a New England postcard-worthy blanketing of snow across Dover-Sherborn. Take a moment from the slowed pace to admire the snowcapped lawns, farms, steeples and streams throughout town.
