By Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
Yet another anticipated day of foul weather for most of Massachusetts forced Superintendent Bill Olsen to cancel school in Westford for the fourth time of the year.
This may have been the most difficult decision Olsen has been faced with yet. The fast-moving storm came up from the south and was not expected to hit the Middlesex area until anywhere from 7 AM to 10 AM, varying on different forecasting models from WCVB, WHDH, and the National Weather Service (NWS).
The chart below details how Westford’s decision time fared compared to surrounding communities, according to WCVB.
Olsen’s decision was in line and even before many surrounding areas. Unlike the last major snow storm, it was rare for school districts to call off school the night before. Yesterday, the closest region to Westford to do that was Worcester, according to WCVB’s closing times.
Moving beyond the timing of the call, the call itself was the right one to make. Driving home would be dangerous and ill-advised, even in an early release situation. The quick-moving nature of the storm would have made it virtually impossible to know for sure if a two-hour early release would be safe.
The National Weather Service has released several revisions of their winter storm warning over the last 24 hours. Last night, there was a wind advisory warning given from 2 PM Thursday to midnight expecting gusts up to 45 MPH. The report warns that “strong gusty winds will combine with heavy wet snow to down tree limbs and power lines resulting in outages.”
Additionally, a winter storm warning has been in effect from 7 AM Thursday morning to 7 AM Friday morning. This warning predicts snow accumulations of 12-16 inches and difficult travel throughout Thursday and in to Friday Morning. The NWS anticipates snow covered roads along with near zero visibility for the Middlesex County until 7 AM Friday.
Anticipated weather forecast per Intellicast Radar Predictor:
In summary, Olsen made the right call today. A tough storm to predict with great confidence led to closings decided in the early morning hours for most of Middlesex County and Westford falls in that description. If anything, Olsen made his call just slightly earlier than most neighboring communities, including Chelmsford, Littleton, and Ayer.
No school was definitely the correct decision as driving conditions are dangerous and will continue to worsen throughout the day. Olsen’s call today warrants an A-.
The main question on students’ minds now is could there be the possibility of back-to-back snow days or a delayed opening for tomorrow? The snow is scheduled to continue right up until 7 AM and will make for another difficult decision Olsen will have to consider tomorrow morning.
Cumulative Grading Total: B+ (87%)
December 9: C+
December 18: B
January 2: A+
January 3: A
January 22: B
February 5: C
February 13: A-
