With ice encrusting southern Vermont and heavy snow to the north, precipitation interrupted the normal rhythms of life Thursday night into Friday.
Schools closed, state offices opened late, and thousands of homes and businesses lost electrical power.
Parts of Orange County received more than 15 inches by midday Friday, and Springfield’s roads were covered by a third of an inch of ice overnight, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Clay.
Thursday’s temperature gradient helped fuel the storm’s precipitation, Clay said.
“The real impacts have been travel and a few thousand power outages,” said Mark Bosma, public information officer for Vermont Emergency Management.
Bosma warned people to take precautions to prevent carbon monoxide buildup as a result of the snow.
“Those who lost power and are using a generator should run them outside and away from windows and doors,” he said. “We are also strongly encouraging people to check their ground-level heating vents to be sure they are not blocked by snow.”
In preparation for the worst of the ice, Green Mountain Power deployed crews to the southern part of the state, according to Kristin Carlson, the company’s vice president of strategy and external relations.
“The storm is still happening, and they’re taking on new outages. So, they’re making repairs in some pretty tough conditions,” Carlson said.
By midafternoon Friday, Green Mountain Power had restored power to thousands of customers, she said.
Statewide power outages were hovering around 4,500 Friday at 2 p.m., with the most severe problems occurring in Bennington and Windham counties.
Vermont State Police responded to about 55 storm-related crashes, according to spokesperson Adam Silverman.
“A number of the wrecks led to road closures while emergency crews responded, assisted those involved and cleaned up the scene,” Silverman wrote in an email to VTDigger. He was not aware of any serious injuries.
Plummeting temperatures led to hard-packed snow, an added difficulty for plows, according to Todd Law, deputy division director of district maintenance and fleet at the Agency of Transportation.
“Where things are probably the worst is down on the southern part of the state where they got that sleet and freezing rain,” Law said. A stretch of Interstate 89 South in Bethel had to be closed after several tractor-trailers got stuck because of ice, he said.
While staying off the roads is always the safest bet, Law said, he also recognized that all that snow meant more drivers would be bound for the slopes.
“As a former skier, I understand that draw to get out there for the powder,” he said. “But anybody who needs to or desires to get out on the roadways, definitely give yourself additional time. Take it slow.”
