No School in Swampscott Tuesday

The latest storm arrived on spring's doorstep and during the morning commute.

Superintendent Lynne Celli announced that school is canceled for Swampscott public school students and staff today, Tuesday, March 19.

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Heavy Wet Snow and Surging Tides Appear Headed Our Way

A coastal storm could dump heavy wet snow and bring beachside flooding between Thursday and Friday in Swampscott.

  The National Weather Service has issued winter storm and coastal flood watches for Swampscott and parts of Essex County in the coming days. A coastal storm could generate heavy wet snow and high winds and churn storm surges to 3 feet from late Wednesday night through Friday morning. Offshore waves will likely climb to 25 to 30 feet and surging tides could cause coastal flooding. It is still early to for forecasters to project snow totals for Swampscott but early estimates say the March storm could deliver 2- to 8-inches. The snow is expected to be the heavy wet variety that can bring tree limbs down on power wires and knock out electricity.    

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No Sidewalk Snow Clearing By-Law Expected For Town Meeting

The town administrator does not think consensus can be reached on such a by-law for the May 6, meeting.

  Town Administrator Tom Younger says he doesn't think there is enough time before the May 6, Town Meeting to assemble a sidewalk snow-clearing by-law. At least not one that would be supported by consenus, he said at Wednesday's selectmen's meeting. Instead he recommends that a committee be formed including residents and Department of Public Works representatives to take up sidewalk snow removal. He recommends setting up the committee after Town Meeting. The town admininstrator said he has received quite a few emails related to sidewalk clearing. A survey of Patch comments after the blizzard earlier this month include a few schools of thought. Some residents, including parents, say homeowners should be responsible for clearing snow from …

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Swampscott Eyes Another Heavy Snow

DPW is still hauling away snow from the Blizzard of 2013, a storm that dug deep into the town's winter budget.

  Two weeks after the historic blizzard that buried Swampscott under two feet of snow Department of Public Works crews are still hauling snow from piles at intersections and dead ends. Meanwhile, DPW Director Gino Cresta has his eyes on a possible late-weekend snowstorm that forecasters say could drop anywhere from six inches to a foot in the Boston area. The brewing storm was too distant to gauge likely impact, forecasters said Wednesday night, but if deep wet snow arrives it would have a heavy impact on Swampscott's snow removal budget. Already this season the town has spent $140,000 of its $170,000 snow removal funds, the director said. Most of the $140,000 went to battling the Feb. 9 and 10 storm, the dollars covering expenses …

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MOMents

MOMents - Kids These Days

Don't believe everything you hear.

People are quick to malign “kids these days” for all sorts of things, and some of it is fair, but much of it is not. Kids are frequently criticized, along with their parents, for a failure to get outside and play unless there is a super structure, like a team. Parents are criticized for overbooking their children on teams and classes and not leaving enough time for spontaneous activities that children plan amongst themselves. Last week, just before the blizzard, there were cartoons on the Internet floating around equating the dinosaurs and fossils with the “neighborhood kid who shovels snow” and other extinct species. The problem with all these “urban legends” is that they are not true.  Maybe they are true in some places, but here in …

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S'No More! 5-9 Inches of Snow Saturday Into Sunday

Swampscott could see around a half a foot or more snow Saturday night into Sunday.

There are still huge snowbanks everywhere from the Blizzard of '13, even after moderate temperatures this week, but Old Man Winter isn't done with Swampscott. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning in effect until Sunday at 1 p.m. for a storm that will pass through the area starting Saturday night. The forecast calls for 1-3 inches of snow on Saturday night and another 4-6 inches on Sunday, mainly before 4 p.m. Visibility won't be great either, as winds could gust as high as 43 mph on Sunday, blowing the snow around and producing wind chill values as low as -2 on Sunday night. The gusty winds will continue on Presidents Day, which will be sunny with a high near 32 but wind chill values as low as -4.

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Swampscott Public Schools Closed Friday

Kids, it's official. You've got the day off on Friday.

Swampscott Public Schools announced they will be closed Friday. It's in advance of a potential blizzard that could bring one to two feet of snow to town. For all the blizzard news and to share what you know with your neighbors, visit our Nor'Easter Information Center.   Sign up for Swampscott Patch’s daily newsletter, “like” us on Facebook and “follow” us on Twitter to get news, blogs, announcements and events. Want to share your opinions with your community? Start your own blog here.

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Sand, Salt and Plows Ready for Oddball Storm

Coastal communities could get smacked hard by the offshore storm.

  It remains to be seen how much snow will fall on Swampscott Monday night and into Tuesday but the Department of Public Works has its trucks and contractor call list ready. DPW Director Gino Cresta said 14 DPW trucks are ready to go. Crews start salting and sanding roads once the snow flies. When a couple inches accumulate they start plowing their routes, he said. The rule of thumb is four inches brings in outside help.  After four inches of snow the town calls in contractors to help plow, the director said.  The timing of this storm could make driving difficult since the snow is forecasted to fall before and during the early commute. There is also school to consider. The DPW director typcially gets an early call — about 4 a.m. — from the…

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