WESTFORD — Over a foot of snow fell in Westford on Monday, as a powerful blizzard slammed Massachusetts with heavy snow, high winds and whiteout conditions.
A blizzard warning was issued by the National Weather Service for much of northeastern Massachusetts, including Westford, from 4 p.m. Sunday until 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Due to the snow, Westford town officials announced that all public schools in town will be closed on Tuesday, with town offices and municipal buildings opening late at 11 a.m.
Trash collection, which was canceled on Monday, will resume at 8 a.m. Tuesday following a Monday schedule. Trash collection will run on a one-day delay for the remainder of the week.
All town buildings, including Town Hall, the J.V. Fletcher Library, the Roudenbush Community Center and Cameron Senior Center, as well as all Westford Public Schools were closed Monday. Essential public safety operations, including Public Works and the Westford Police and Fire Department continued all day Monday and through the night. The Westford School Committee also canceled its meeting scheduled for Monday night.
The storm first moved into the region on Sunday, with snow beginning to fall late Sunday evening. It rapidly intensified into the early hours of Monday morning, with snow falling at a rate of one to two inches per hour between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Around midday Monday, the snow began to slow down, before tapering off later Monday evening.
Sources told WestfordCAT that 14 inches of snow fell in Westford by the end of the day Monday.
More snow fell in eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, where accumulations between 12-24 inches were reported, as well as on the South Shore and South Coast, where 24-30+ inches of snow fell in many communities.
Wind gusts between 50-70 mph were reported across the state, downing trees and power lines. According to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, over 280,000 customers in Massachusetts lost power, including dozens in Westford.
Due to the blizzard conditions, travel throughout the day on Monday was difficult to nearly impossible. Visibility on the roads was reduced down to a quarter mile due to the high winds blowing snow.
State officials, including Gov. Maura Healey, warned all non-essential drivers to stay off the roads, and issued a travel ban for Plymouth County, Bristol County and Barnstable County.
The blizzard is one of several major snowstorms that have hit the region since last month, making this winter one of the snowiest and coldest winters in both Westford and Massachusetts in over a decade.
