Residents hope warm weekend will melt snow

SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. (WHDH) -- Massachusetts saw high winds and a good amount of snow after its first nor’easter of the season on Wednesday night into Thursday.

One of the hardest hit areas in the Bay State was Southbridge, which saw nine inches of snow -- enough to delay schools for two hours.

“To be honest it was a little bit surreal. It’s good for the kids I guess, a pain for everybody else,” said Cody Bolduc, who was surprised by the snow.

This makes two years in a row that the snow piled up before the leaves all fell. Last winter was a piece of cake after the Halloween nor’easter that slammed New England -- do residents think we’ll get off easy again this year?

“I’d love to, but I wouldn’t count on it,” said Tom Daley, Southbridge Department of Public Works director.

Southbridge DPW had its snowplow drivers out all night and they’re exhausted -- especially two of them who competed in a regional snowplow driver rodeo on Wednesday, a skills competition that the two of them won. But then had to go out and plow for real. They haven’t slept in over 24 hours.

Cantara Landscaping was busy sucking up leaves into trucks, but then had to switch gears quickly as the forecast changed from 1-3 inches of snow, to more than six.

“We were fortunate to get everything ready in time,” said Jason Cantara of Cantara Landscaping. “Till it thaws out, but we’re hearing it’s going to be pretty warm come the start of the weekend.”

That’s what many in Southbridge are banking on -- a chance of 60 degrees this weekend. All of the snow will be just a memory.