SNOW UPDATE: North Andover May Get 10 Inches

For those of you breathing a sigh or relief -- or complaining -- that we haven't had any snow this winter, hold that thought.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for much of the state including North Andover from noon Wednesday until 6 p.m. Thursday, and North Andover may see up to 10 inches of snow accumulation before it's done.

“Right now were preparing as we normally would,” Emergency Management Director Jeff Coco said. He will be communicating with various town departments as the storm progresses and evaluating what needs to be done.

Snow is expected to start early Wednesday afternoon and become heavy at times by late afternoon. Several inches of accumulation are expected Wednesday night, and the snow will continue into Thursday morning, according to the NWS.

The storm is expected to bring slippery roads and poor visibility, creating a hazardous commute Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. There will also likely be fog and freezing fog, which would make visibility much worse.

Division of Public Works Director Bruce Thibodeau said his department has been preparing to battle the snow and is in the process of treating the roads.

Surprisingly, the town has already spent about $300,000 of the $750,000 allocated for snow this winter.

"Everybody forgets there was a storm on Halloween and there was a tremendous amount of damage," Thibodeau said. The town has also been salting the roads throughout the season due to freezing temperatures.

And of course, after last October's storm, Coco said he is already coordinating with National Grid. The town has a liaison at National Grid now to stay on top of power outages.

If you lose power, Coco said to contact the North Andover Police Department at their non-emergency number, 978-683-3168. You should also notify National Grid.

“Everybody’s lining up and hoping for the best,” Coco said.

Check back with Patch for further updates.