Winter Storm Center: Wrentham Information Center

The following is an update on storm news from Norfolk, Plainville and Wrentham during the snowstorm.

Saturday, Feb. 9-

9 a.m.-Kurt Schwartz, secretary director of MEMA, said the MBTA will be closed today. He also said the travel ban will be readdressed later today.

The U.S. Postal Service has suspended mail delivery 

8:25 a.m.-Today's weather from WHDH- Snow slowly ramps down! Early snow tapers to flurries by mid/late afternoon. Blustery and cold with highs from 20-25. Storm totals approach 18-24 feet in many areas including Boston. Sunday: Mostly sunny skies. Little to no wind. Highs in the low 30s.

8:15 a.m.Logan Airport is expecting the first flights to being going out Sunday.

Friday, Feb. 8 -

From the Plainville Police Department

 As of 10 PM, we have about 12 inches of snow on the ground. The drifts are beginning to pile up around parts of town. Power is still on for the entire town, although we've had a few flickers here at the PD. We thank our residents for heeding the travel ban issued by the Governor earlier today. The plows have had unobstructed access to the roads all evening. Plainville Police and Plainville Fire have extra personnel on for the duration of the storm. Still a long night ahead of us, stay warm! We will do our best to keep everyone safe!

1:48 p.m.

Governor Deval Patrick: "I have signed an executive order banning vehicle traffic effective at 4 p.m. today."

1:34 p.m.

Due to the storm, Tranquil Souls Yoga has cancelled all Friday evening and Saturday classes. All regularly scheduled classes are on for Sunday.

Eastern Banks are closed throughout the area. They closed at noon.

10:57 a.m.

The MBTA will shut down all modes of transportation this afternoon. The last train on the Providence Line will leave South Station at 3:30 p.m. and should stop in Mansfield at approximately 4:15 p.m.

Inbound service to Boston will be suspended at 3:30 p.m.

10 a.m.

Plainridge Racecourse will be closed Friday, Feb. 8. They will be providing an update on Saturday coverage later. 

9:32 a.m.

Snow total predictions have gone up a bit this morning. Now, WHDH-TV is predicting 16-20 inches with isolated spots of 30 inches in our area.

Logan Airport in Boston has cancelled more than a 100 flights.

From the Plainville Police Department's Facebook page:

In order to keep you well informed, we have received a memo regarding AREAS (Attleboro Regional Emergency Access System). This will broadcast up-to-date storm information on WARL 1320AM. Starting at 8 a.m. this morning AREAS has activated its 24 hour emergency coverage to help assist you and the community. Information will include such things from evacuations to shelter information, from road closures to cancellations, no message is too small to broadcast to your community during an emergency.

Notifications and messages will be broadcast as they arrive and repeated at the top of every hour until the emergency is over or when updated information is provided.

There are four ways you can provide AREAS with information:
1) Phone: 508-222-1320
2) Email: emergency@doubleacs.com
3) Fax: 508-226-2225
4) In person: The studio is located at 42 Union St. in Attleboro

Thursday, Feb. 7 —

10 p.m.

The King Philip School District will not have school Friday and the district office will be closed.

Wrentham Public Schools will be closed Friday.

Plainville Public Schools will be closed Friday.

Gov. Deval Patrick is telling people to stay off the roads after noon on Friday.

The last MBTA train will run at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Logan Airport will be stopping flights Friday afternoon.

Xaverian Bros. High School will be closed on Friday.

6 p.m.

Wrentham Senior Center will be closed Friday.

Norfolk schools will be closed Friday.

Norfolk Aggie will be closed Friday. 

Tri-County Regional School will be closed Friday.

Foxborough Regional Charter School to Close Early Friday Due to Storm

Following message is from Foxborough Regional Charter School Director Dr. Mark Logan:

"Dear Families,

Given the anticipated timing of the snowstorm tomorrow, we will be closing early on Friday, February 8, 2013. We will begin our normal dismissal procedures at 11:25 a.m.

This decision was made in coordination with state and local officials and with the projections of light snowfall during the morning and early afternoon hours. I am making this decision now, so that families can coordinate their needs in advance.

Dismissal will be as follows:

• All bus students and walkers will be dismissed at 11:25 a.m.
• All carpool students will be dismissed at 11:35 a.m.
• All other students will be dismissed at 11:45 a.m.

Please also note that due to the early dismissal, lunch will not be served and all afternoon activities, including the extended day program will be cancelled. The school will close immediately after dismissal to give our students, families and staff time to travel safely home.

Should there be any significant change to the storm track or timing, I will communicate further updates to our school community through the AlertNow system, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Foxborough Patch and postings on television stations.

Thank you, and I wish you all remain safe throughout the storm and your travels."

5:30 p.m.

The following are schedule changes because of Friday's expected weather.

Wrentham trash pick-up for Friday will be moved up to 6 a.m. from 7 p.m. because of the upcoming snowstorm. Residents should have their trash curbside before 6 a.m.

A winter parking ban on public streets in effect on the Wrentham streets from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The King Philip High boys' basketball game against Attleboro has been moved to tonight (Thursday) at 6:30 p.m. The girls' team will be traveling to Attleboro tonight.

The Hockomock League Indoor Track Championships scheduled for Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston has been cancelled.

FROM THE WRENTHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT:

The Town of Wrentham, including the Police Department, Office of Emergency Management, Fire Department and Department of Public Works have begun to prepare for the arrival of a potential historic snowstorm which is currently projected to hit the Massachusetts area sometime Friday, February 8, 2013 and lasting into the weekend.

This storm has the potential to rival the historic blizzard of 1978 which paralyzed the region with more than two feet of snow and hurricane force winds. 

The National Weather Service is calling this storm one of the most significant weather events to hit the east coast of the United States in decades. We are anticipating blizzard conditions, with temperatures in the 20’s, high winds and snow falling two to three inches an hour at the peak of the storm, making traveling almost impossible. They are recommending that people begin taking action immediately to prepare for significant damage caused by high wind and snow drifts. 

The Wrentham Police Department encourages residents to begin taking steps immediately to prepare for a significant weather event.

The Town of Wrentham has a Winter Parking Ban from December 1st to April 1st. This ban prohibits the parking of any motor vehicles on any public way from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. This allows the Department of Public Works to plow and open roads in a more efficient manner. Your cooperation with the parking ban will be greatly appreciated. 

Household emergency supplies should include enough food and water supplies to last four days without power. Residents should ensure that they have the following items at a minimum: 

• Food that doesn’t require heating or refrigeration, such as canned meats, soups, cereal and energy bars 
• Manual can opener 
• Paper plates, cups and plastic utensils 
• Bottled water 
• Flashlights and batteries 
• Battery powered radio 
• Cell phone and charger 
• Four day supply of prescription medicine 
• Blanket and cold weather clothing for each family member 
• Pet food and water for household pets 
• Vehicle filled with gasoline 
• If you have a generator make sure it is in working order Unless evacuated, please stay in your homes for safety reasons and allow public safety personnel to perform their duties to the best of their ability. 

If you experience loss of power please call National Grid at 1-800-322-3223 and DO NOT call Wrentham Public Safety Dispatch as they will more than likely be tied up with other emergency situations. 

In the event of an emergency during the storm, residents should call 9-1-1. For all other inquiries or to report property damage, please contact the Police Department at 508-384-2121 to speak with a police dispatcher.

Instructions:

Updates will be sent via this service as more information becomes available. All residents are urged to track the movements of this storm via weather and news outlets and to take precautions as needed.

From the Plainville Police Department:

This is what we are expecting. The latest forecasts have light flurries starting after the morning commute, and continuing through the afternoon. It now seems the worst will begin after 3:00 or so. We are hearing that in the evening hours, the snow could come down at a rate of 3-4 inches per hour, making it difficult for even the plows to keep up! Please be mindful of this when making your plans for tomorrow. Also, this is a great time to remember that we have a winter parking ban in effect. Please be sure your vehicle is not parked on the roads, as it will interfere with snow removal. Violators will be towed, and/or ticketed. Now is also the time to take care of our neighbors....can your neighbor park in your driveway for the night? Does your elderly neighbor have bread and milk? And remember, we are just a phone call away!

From St. Mary's Wrentham Faith Formation Program
Due to the uncertainity of the amounts of snow and the timing of the storm we are canceling Laser tag for Saturday. We will chose a date to reschedule and let everyone know.

From Plainville Police Department
POLICE VS 6TH GRADE BASKETBALL GAME POSTPONED: Due to the impending snowstorm on Friday, the Basketball game has been postponed. Makeup date will be next Friday, February 15th, same time and location!

4:14 p.m.

MEMA, National Weather Service Updates Officials on Potential Blizzard

MEMA and the National Weather Service provided the following update to public officials around the state Thursday afternoon:

• There will be a substantial blizzard with 18 to 24 inches of snow expected, starting with light snow Friday morning, with heavier snow coming Friday afternoon and the high winds starting in the evening.
• NWS expects at least three hours of blizzard conditions with snow coming down at 2 to 4 inches per hour.
• NWS expects high winds from 8 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday, which will cause wide spread power outages. Line repairs cannot be started until the winds subside, as bucket trucks cannot operate in high winds.
• NWS says there could even be thunderstorms, which can cause 5 to 6 inches of snow per hour in some areas.
• Some computer models show up to 3 inches of liquid being produced from Friday's storm, which could result in more - and heavier - snow.