Schools Closed for Second Day After Blizzard Hits Westfield

Westfield residents awoke to 18 inches of snow Thursday morning with schools closed for a second straight day after a blizzard pummeled the northeast.

The snow started falling on Tuesday night, gaining speed during the day on Wednesday. The heavy snow and ice caused power lines around town to sag low to the ground, with many being down.

As of 9 p.m. on Wednesday night, the fire department had responded to 66 storm related incidens. These included 60 downed utility wires, one water condition, one carbon monoxide condition and four hazardous conditions caused by downed trees.

Around 8:30 on Wednesday night Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan announced a decision to close schools for the second straight day. The decision followed several hours of intense speculation on the school closure decision, with the closure of neighboring districts leading to more speculation. Students report that Facebook was buzzing with speculation on a closing and had reports of a closing before the Board of Education announced the final decision. The Board of Education's website was acting slow in the early evening hours.

The second snow day will lead to an almost mini-vacation for Westfield students. Students are likely due back in school on Friday and then will have Monday and Tuesday off for the President's Day holiday. Town teachers will be reporting to work next Tuesday for a professional development day.

The Department of Public Works started work at 4 a.m. on Wednesday and continued working throughout the day. Thirty eight DPW staffers worked to keep the streets clear, making multiple runs through town to keep up with the continuing snowfall.

The DPW is asking residents to continue to shovel their sidewalks and to avoid throwing snow into the streets.