WMUR School Closings abound amid slippery morning commute

Multi-vehicle accidents slow morning commute on I-93

9 a.m.

Accidents in both the north and south lanes of I-93 Tuesday morning south of Manchester brought traffic to a crawl. No injuries are reported. The speed limit on the highway has been reduced to 45 mph.

Manchester Chamber of Commerce closed

8:39 a.m.

The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce will be closed today due to the winter storm. We will likely re-open on Wednesday, January 19th. The Chamber's snow closing policy follows that of the Manchester School District. If Manchester schools are closed, the Chamber will be closed.

All meetings and workshops will be postponed and rescheduled to a later date and time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Storm may put NH in slippery situation

By MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader

New Hampshire is in for a second snow storm in less than a week's time.

But while last Wednesday's blast was what could be expected in January -- a cold, powdery snow that fell on a brisk wind but did little damage -- today's involves a sniff of a warmer, more aggravating storm.

Forecasts say five to 10 inches of snow could crust over with as much as a quarter-inch of ice.

If the National Weather Service winter storm warning pans out as predicted, the snow will start sometime after 6 a.m. -- just in time for the morning commute -- and the freezing rain will arrive by evening.

"It's always a concern whenever it changes over to freezing rain," said Tim Clougherty, deputy director of the Manchester Highway Department. "My advice is to take it easy, take it slow, watch the weather throughout the day, and if it changes to freezing rain, only travel if absolutely necessary."

The winter storm warning lasts from 4 a.m. today until 6 a.m. Wednesday in southern New Hampshire. The warning for central and northern New Hampshire runs from 7 a.m. today to 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The snow and potential freezing rain could make driving hazardous, the NWS said. Rain is expected along the immediate coast by tonight.

"Further inland, mainly snow is expected, however even interior locations could go over to a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain," the Weather Service said.

Meanwhile, Unitil warned that wet snow and freezing rain could substantially damage its electrical system, making for lengthy power outages.

In New Hampshire, the company provides electricity to communities in the Concord and Seacoast areas, but said it expects the worst of the storm to hit in northern-central Massachusetts.

"We are expecting the most serious hours of this storm to occur late Tuesday and into Wednesday," said Media Relations Manager Alec O'Meara. "However, we are prepared to launch into emergency operations earlier should conditions worsen ahead of schedule."

The company urged customers to have flashlights and batteries on hand, as well as a battery operated radio, bottled water, canned food, a car charger for cell phones and a first-aid kit.

With this storm following an 18-inch snowfall and a three-day weekend, there has been little time to remove what's already out there.

Clougherty said 22 highway department workers cleared snow from Commercial Street and a portion of Elm Street on Sunday night. But he had to call the operation off Monday so trucks could be equipped with sanders and salters in preparation of today's storm.

Since cold temperatures are expected this morning, he said, crews won't apply salt to roads, instead concentrating on plowing. Salt doesn't work in temperatures below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and it ends up getting pushed into snowbanks in subsequent plowings.

One of the city's weather services calls for snow to start at 8 a.m. Both call for a change to freezing rain in late afternoon, Clougherty said. "We're just going to have to get out there and stay on top of it," he said.

Manchester Fire Department added chains to its fire engines Monday, said District Fire Chief Al Poulin. During storms, the fire department often gets medical emergency calls from people who are distressed by the storm.

Source: http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Storm+Blog%3A+Closings+abound+amid+slippery+morning+commute&articleId=5b75c4b1-dcc9-4fea-a9b6-4f4b1bbc948b