Warwick, RI – The City’s entire fleet is back on the roads today as the Groundhog Day storm continues to coat streets, sidewalks and driveways with light, dry snow that promises a coating of sleet mid-day before turning back to snow.
“All the trucks are in (service),” said Warwick Highway Chief Bob Benoit, and the 64 city plows and 18 sand trucks are out clearing every route in Warwick, he said.
While they’re doing that, people can best help by getting their trash barrels in from the street as soon as their trash is picked up.
The other way people can help, he said, is to stay off the roads if you don’t have to be out. Benoit said residents have been good about that. Traffic has been light, so plows and sanders haven’t had any trouble getting around.
Warwick Public Schools, Hendriken, and several other private schools and businesses have announced cancellations due to the storm. There’s also a parking ban in effect for Warwwick until further notice.
Though the National Weather service forecast sleet to begin after 11 a.m., it began at about 9:30 in some areas. The service predicts temperatures will fall as low as -7 with windchill factored in.
The RI Emergency Management Agency advises people to do their shovelling early this time around, since dipping temperatures are going to make that difficult tonight.
“There’s going to be a deep freeze as soon as the snow blows through,” Benoit said.
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