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Saturday, February 9, 2013

Blizzard Photos: Stick Your Camera Out the Window!

It's easy to upload your photos. Just click the "upload" button below the photo.

The blizzard is underway! The blizzard of 2013 is expected to dump one to two feet of snow on the region.  Show us what it looks like on your street. Please take your camera or cellphone, stick it out a window or doorway and take a photo or a video. Then upload it to this article. You can sign in with your Patch or your Facebook account. It's easy, just click the "upload" button above and follow the directions. Be sure to include a caption for your photo that lets others know where the photo was taken. The more specific you are the better, but simply mentioning the street is fine too. Let's have some fun with this and see what we can create together. Stay warm.

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David Ertischek

10:48 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013

Nice photo from Corey Street, Gary! Hope the snowman stands tall the whole storm.   more ›

Up to Nine More Inches of Fresh Snow Saturday

Expect strong winds and bitter cold as well.

Whether you've loved this storm or dreaded it, you'll soon see the end of it. The National Weather Service is predicting that the heaviest snow will be over by 3 p.m. but that a slight chance of snow showers exists afterward.  But before the snowstorm blows over, we could see as much as 9 inches of fresh snow fall today. Even after the snow ends, the wind and bitter cold will remain.  The NWS says to expect temperatures as low as 4 below, including windchill, during the day, with winds up to 29 mph.  Both the wind and the snow will die down toward late afternoon or early evening, and the temperature will drop from a daytime high of 22 to a nighttime low of 12, but it will actually feel a bit warmer at night considering the lighter winds. …

Friday, February 8, 2013

Throwing Snow on Beacon Hill? Watch Out for Fines

Boston requires property owners to clear walkways within three hours of the snowfall ending and to keep snow out of public roadways.

With the snow just starting to pile up outside, Beacon Hill residents may not be thinking about what happens after the storm. But city officials are. City of Boston regulations require that snow, slush and ice be removed from all sidewalks and curb ramps within three hours of snowfall ending, or three hours from sunrise if the snow stops overnight, according to the city website. Those found in violation will face fines every day until the situation is resolved. Failure to remove snow and ice from the sidewalk after a storm will result in a $50 fine for residential properties of 16 units or less, $100 for residential properties of more than 16 units and $200 for commercial properties.  But you can't put the snow just anywhere.  Fines are …

Neighbors Turn to Online Forum for Shoveling Help

Boston residents who have a hard time shoveling can post their address on a forum provided by Neighbors for Neighbors.

If you need help digging out after the blizzard, a local organization is offering their services. Neighbors for Neighbors has activated its SnowCrew program where those in need can post their address to the company’s online forum to request free shoveling service. The initiative, powered by SeeClickFix.com, makes it possible for those in need and those who look after them to request shoveling assistance and have notifications sent to those nearby and those who follow #snowcrew on twitter to dig them out. This free service has proven beneficial in pilots in 2010 and 2011 and is available to anyone in Boston in need, according to information on the Neighbors for Neighbors website. Volunteers can connect with those who have requested service …

Morning Forecast Puts Snow Totals Closer to 3 Feet

The winter storm is expected to build up steam after noon today, with the heaviest snowfall occurring during the Friday evening commute into Saturday.

Boston residents waking Friday morning expecting to see a blanket of snow will be surprised to see that the streets remain clear, with just the occasional flurry drifting down. But weather forecasters maintain: The storm is coming. And when it does, it may be bigger than previously expected. A National Weather Service blizzard warning update posted early Friday morning states that the "historic winter storm and blizzard" could drop up to 3 feet of snow on the area, rather than the 1-2 feet expected yesterday. The alert covers the Boston area as well as much of eastern and southern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire and all of Rhode Island. The NWS alert calls for "heavy snow ... blowing and drifting at times" with quarter-mile …

NSTAR Offers Tips to on How to Prepare for Snowstorm

NSTAR has already activated its emergency response plan in preparation for Friday's snowstorm.

With a major nor’easter expected to impact the Boston area beginning Friday, NSTAR announced on Thursday it will will activate its emergency response plan for a significant impact on the electric grid. “We’re well into our preparations for responding to potentially widespread power outages resulting fromthe nor’easter’s high winds and heavy snow,” said Craig Hallstrom, President of NSTAR Electric. “We prepare year-round for storms like this and stand ready to address damage to our system as soon as itbecomes safe to do so.” NSTAR said 3,000 employees are currently preparing to assist in the storm reponse effort, and the company has also secured additional contractor line and tree crews.  The company is advising customers to make advanced …

Transcript: Blizzard of '13 Live Chat

Check here for updates from Patch, public safety personnel and residents as Massachusetts rides out the Blizzard of 2013.

New England may be in shutdown mode as a giant blizzard barrels through the area, but the conversation is alive and well on Twitter and the rest of the Web. Follow our live chat from Friday morning through the duration of the storm for updates in your neighborhood and around the rest of the state. Patch editors will provide continuous updates, and Twitter feeds from public officials, safety personnel and residents will let you know what's happening outside your window. If you'd like to ask a question during the chat, simply add it in the comment section above. We can't get to every question but will try our best to provide as much information as we can.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Beacon Hill Storm Center

Check here often for updates about service delays and cancellations, new forecast information, and more info you'll need to make it through the storm.

Sunday morning: The travel ban has been lifted but the snow emergency (and therefore, the parking ban) remains in effect. The T will likely not run until Monday. The library remains closed today.  Saturday: Just over 500 NSTAR customers in Boston were without power at around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. The city appears to be one of the lighter-hit areas in the electric company's coverage area. Communities along the coast and out on the Cape are experiencing much higher rates of power outages, with more than 90 percent of NSTAR customers out in towns such as Scituate, Duxbury, Marshfield and Plymouth. Closer to Boston, the hardest hit town so far Saturday morning is Dedham, with about 3 percent of NSTAR customers without power. Experiencing an …

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