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Stormy weather in February had townspeople scrambling to stock their pantries, procure sand and salt, and hunker down for a one-two punch of winter storms whipping through the Bay State.
The first of the two storms began on the morning of Thursday, December 9, dropping over a foot of snow - beginning on the wet side and becoming increasingly powdery - as temperatures dropped. The snows continued steadily, leading to speculation that school, which had been cancelled on the day, may also be out of session on Friday.
Buses stayed parked on Thursday, February 8 and Monday, February 13, as school was cancelled due to snow.
Those hopes were reignited with Friday evening whispers of another storm, this one set to move in on Sunday evening. Initially, it was thought the weekend tempest would be small - a minor annoyance, at best.
It would certainly prove annoying, though as those who were on the road would attest, it was anything but minor.
The following snowfall, which began on Sunday around noon and continued into the early morning hours of Monday, Feb. 13, wreaked havoc on the area, forcing schools to close yet again. The morning commute proved particularly dicey, as area road crews were forced to deal with snow and ice blowing from trees in addition to that which had already fallen from the sky.
Despite the early-A.M. drama, and with the combined efforts of local departments of public works, the storm eventually gave way to sunny skies and clearer roads. By the time of the afternoon commute, a semblance of normalcy had returned to the area.
Needham’s students, in turn, returned to their books - and began looking forward to their upcoming February vacation.
