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Marblehead residents spent Monday digging out from a major winter storm that buried the town under heavy snow and brought strong winds over the weekend, as town officials declared a local state of emergency to expedite snow removal operations.
The Select Board put a state of emergency in place Monday afternoon to allow the Department of Public Works to dispose of snow in the ocean. The declaration would allow the town with additional flexibility to manage the massive volume of snow that could overwhelm storage capacity at municipal sites.
A snow emergency parking ban that began Sunday at noon was expected to be lifted at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, according to police chief Dennis King. The extended parking restriction resulted in limited tickets issued and only three vehicle tows.
"I'd like to thank residents and visitors for complying with the snow emergency parking ban," King said Monday afternoon. "We had an early start time on Sunday (noon) and went into a second day. The Officers did a great job getting people to move as well."
Government reports show the storm delivered 16 to 22 inches of snow to communities surrounding Marblehead and produced northeast winds capable of gusting 30 to 50 mph, according to National Weather Service data. The highest measured gust at a nearby official station was 49 mph at Boston's airport, while marine buoys recorded gusts around 31 to 38 mph over adjacent waters.
Snowfall amounts near Marblehead varied by location. Ipswich, Newburyport and Rockport each reported 22 inches. Gloucester reported 21 inches, while Peabody reported 20.5 inches. Closer to Marblehead, Saugus reported 17.5 inches, Lynn reported 17 inches and Beverly's cooperative station measured 14.7 inches.
Marblehead does not host a National Weather Service observing station, so snowfall and wind data come from nearby towns, airports and marine buoys.'
The emergency declaration allows DPW to transport and dump snow into coastal waters, a measure typically reserved for storms that produce snow volumes beyond what can be managed through normal snow farm operations. The practice requires specific authorization due to environmental regulations governing ocean dumping.
Residents across town spent Monday clearing driveways, sidewalks and vehicles buried under deep snow. Cars remained completely covered in some areas, with snow piled several feet high along streets and walkways. Deep drifts blocked doorways and buried fire hydrants across neighborhoods.
King acknowledged the coordination required to respond to the storm.
"It's important to acknowledge all of the Fire, Police and Dispatch personnel working the storm and the DPW, School and Transfer Station snow operation crews, as well as Marblehead Electric Light, are doing a great job in difficult conditions," King said. "We have a Town snow team that includes many partners that work together to best respond to the unpredictable weather conditions and this was a significant storm that required a lot of coordination."
Fire chief Jason Gilliland said DPW crews stayed ahead of conditions. When firefighters responded to calls, they navigated snow-flanked roads.
"We handled seven medical calls that were not storm-related," Gilliland said, adding that once or twice the fire department had to use its plow truck that cleared the road and was brought back into service.
"We took multiple hazard calls including carbon monoxide concerns tied to blocked power vents and chimney vents," Gilliland said.
In at least one case a vent on the side of a house, only a couple feet off the ground, was buried and appeared to be pushing exhaust back into the home. As a precaution, crews dug it out, he said.
"We had a broken sprinkler pipe at 123 Pleasant in Warwick," Gilliland said, noting "Overall it was not a busy night."
Fire hydrants remain a major issue across town.
"We really appreciate residents digging out roughly three feet of clearance around hydrants," Gilliland said. "There is still a lot of work to do."
A police cruiser was involved in a minor accident with nobody hurt. Police received some complaints of people plowing or shoveling snow into streets. Two officer helped a couple people shovel out, too.
King said there were no incidents where emergency responders were denied access due to road conditions.
"But that is always a concern when streets get tight due to snow accumulations and why following the snow emergency parking ban is required," King said. "We need to be able to keep the streets clear and accessible."
King urged residents to stop putting snow back into streets, sidewalks and covering fire hydrants.
"People need to stop putting the snow back into the streets, sidewalks and covering fire hydrants," King said. "This makes maintaining the streets and sidewalks impossible. This is prohibited and we will be monitoring to address violators. With additional snow coming this point is emphasized."
The Marblehead Light Department reported limited power disruptions during the weekend storm, despite heavy snowfall and difficult working conditions.
“The storm is/was mostly as we expected,” said Jonathan Blair, general manager of the Marblehead Light Department. He said wind conditions were “strong enough to keep the snow from collecting on tree branches and power lines, but not strong enough to cause problems of its own.”
Blair said conditions for travel and visibility were particularly challenging between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m., prompting the department to hold “a single two-person crew at our shop overnight to help clear snow and to ensure minimum staffing was readily available to respond to any potential outages.”
“We had a single issue late Sunday night that resulted in four customers experiencing a power outage for about 90 minutes,” Blair said. “The crew did an excellent job in tackling the restoration safely, quickly and professionally despite the difficult conditions.”
Blair said the most significant challenge was the volume and duration of snowfall. “At some point there is nowhere left to push the snow,” he said, adding that Marblehead’s narrow streets make it “especially difficult to maneuver large trucks between job sites and to set them up to perform work.”
“When the storm lasts for 36 hours, it really tests the crew’s endurance,” Blair said. “Our team is resilient and prepared.”
“It is important to remember that conditions can be quite dangerous when working aloft on utility poles, especially in high wind,” Blair said. “While we strive to provide our customers with great reliability, there are times where we might need to delay restoration until hazardous conditions subside.”
The sheer volume of snow created challenges for homeowners trying to find space to pile cleared snow. Properties showed towering snow banks flanking narrow pathways carved through drifts, with some residents forced to stack snow higher than their rooflines.
Despite the heavy snowfall and difficult conditions, some residents found moments of beauty in the storm's aftermath. Icicles hung from windows, yellow tulips brightened snow-covered windowsills and the harbor remained active with waterfowl swimming near snow-dusted docks and boats.
The local state of emergency remains in effect as DPW crews continue clearing streets and removing snow from downtown areas and residential neighborhoods. Town officials said they would provide updates on the duration of emergency operations as conditions improve.
