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— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary

Snow emergency declared
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Updated coverage as the storm approaches!

As Quincy heads towards its fifth snow event this season after going 0 for 4 in the first four snow events and so shaping up to perhaps be the snowiest winter in years in spite of climate change, city officials have declared a snow emergency to commence Sunday evening at 5 pm and then likely to end at some point on Monday yet to be announced.

The reason for the snow emergency is that a plowable snowfall event is expected.

Plowing, getting plowed — whatever
An iconic Quincy Quarry News file photo image

How plowed?

The City of Quincy is most curiously expecting that the storm will be a “small storm” even if it is imposing a snow emergency.

Needless to say, considering how the City of Quincy dropped the plow with its responses to the first four measurable snow events to date and with the impending storm looking to result in the most snowfall to blanket Quincy to date this season, locals can only reasonable be concerned given the city’s variously disconcerting sentiments regarding the impeding storm.

The shoveling at City Hall is piling up
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive file photo image

Reality: Quincy is currently close to the forecast line for five or more inches of snow or five inches of snow or less. 

As such, Quincy is currently expected to see at least several inches of snow or thereabouts per multiple weather forecasts.

Locals should thus hope that the five inches or more of snowfall line stays just a bit northwesterly of Quincy. 

After all, if the path of the storm shifts but a few miles southwesterly Quincy could end with a seriously snow white Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Monday.

The French Toast Alert System index
A Boston Hub graphic

Further ominous, even before the greater snowfall line was updated to forecast to shift southwesterly to include Quincy, the Boston online news outlet The Boston Hub was already calling for a three slice yellow alert on it French Toast Alert System index whereas — again — the official City of Quincy Facebook page is labeling the impending storm as (but, ed.) a “small storm.”

Storm update:  More snowfall projected for Quincy.

Even more troubling, the impending snow event is now expected to perhaps dump the most significant snowfall to hit Boston and adjacent communities such as Quincy in three years.

In turn, is such a “small storm” still small?

Gone fishing?
A file photo

Further problematic, likely the coldest weather of the season to date is expected next week.

Overnight lows are expected to be as low as but one degree above zero overnight with wind chill running as low as in the negative teens through at least Thursday.

Accordingly, any of what is expected to be more wet and thus heavy snow that is not cleared on Monday will freeze hard for at least most of the work week.to follow. 

Freeze rock hard frozen.

Additionally problematic, sources in the know have advised Quincy Quarry News that many to most of the City of Quincy’s heavy snow plowing and salting trucks are old and thus unreliable such that they were not always readily available to deploy during at least certain of the first four local snow events of the season.

Mayor Koch’s full-sized late model SUV city ride
A Quincy Quarry News file photo

Considering how the City of Quincy has one of the youngest fleets of city rides of any municipality in the Greater Bostonarea, word that Quincy’s Department of Public Works heavy snow clearing trucks are old and thus unreliable comes as a great surprise.

Especially as rumor has it that the City of Quincy has bought so many other sorts of city rides in recent years that at least some employees are said to be allowed to take them home at night given apparently limited parking and as especially would appear to be the case at the Department of Pubic Works.

The City of Quincy’s salt shed under construction
A Citizen Photojournalist image

Accordingly, one can only hope that city officials can arrange for its snow clearing private snow removal contractors to put additional heavy equipment on local streets to cover the potential shortfall.

Additionally, perhaps at least City of Quincy employees’ snow clearing efforts can readily continue to be undertaken on the federal holiday Monday after the storm passes while many locals will have the day off and local schools are closed — even if taking these steps might entail extra cost upon what has been a significantly downsized snow removal budget given recent light snowfall winters likely care of climate change.

Let it snow let it snow let is snow!
Image via danieldervartanian.com

After all, if anyone is going to score holiday weekend overtime pay rates it should be locals instead of out of town truckers.

Also of concern is word coming Quincy Quarry’s way that the city’s salt supply has already been hit hard from the earlier storms this season even if local side streets would appear to have been put on a low salt diet.

As such, Quincy locals would be well-advised to prepare for the worst.

QQ disclaimer

Time to hitch up the dogs?
A Border Endurance Kennels image

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