“We've had bigger snows than this, but it doesn't get a lot colder than this,” Sean Sears said after snowboarding at Chemung Hill in Stoughton Friday.
BROCKTON – The snow fell Thursday. Now it’s the temperatures turn.
After a record snowfall that dumped 16.4 inches in Brockton (and a local high of 17.6 inches in Stoughton), single-digit temperatures are expected through the weekend, with wind chills that could reach minus-15 degrees.
On Saturday morning, the temperature was around 8 degrees with a wind chill at minus-11.
The deep freeze is coming from a high-pressure system that is pulling in cold air from the Arctic and Canada, meteorologist Lenore Correia said.
“That’s going to stay with us for a couple of days,” said Correia, who works for the National Weather Service in Taunton.
Correia said the temperatures and wind chill could mean frostbite to exposed skin in less than one hour.
The Brockton area handled Thursday's snowfall (which was the largest single-day total since 2015) seemingly well. Highways and local roads were plowed to pavement by early Friday morning, and Brockton towed 55 cars – a low number compared to the last few big storms – Thursday.
Stoughton earned high-mark honors in the area with 17.6 inches of snow, drawing many locals to Chemung Hill Friday for a bit of sledding and tubing.
Burt Parker was roped into his first sledding experience Friday by friend Sean Sears and his son, Ryan Sears.
Parker moved to the area this summer from Georgia.
“It was my first time shoveling yesterday, first time sledding today,” grinned a bundled-upParker, a youth pastor at Grace Church in Avon.
Sean Sears, of Stoughton, pulled out his snowboard for a few runs down the big hill, while his son and Parker brought along discs.
“We’ve had bigger snows than this, but it doesn’t get a lot colder than this,” Sears said.
Mark Batherwich, of Easton, brought along his 5-year-old daughter, Madison, for a few runs down the hill.
“There aren’t too many good sledding hills around here – this is one of the better ones,” Batherwich said.
After a few runs in the bitter wind, he said they were both ready to get home for some hot chocolate.
Just down the street from Chemung Hill, Stoughton’s Department of Public Works was working at the scene of a large water main break at Stone Ends Apartments on Central Street.
Many in that area were without water Friday afternoon, and workers told The Enterprise repairs “could take all night.” Police had set up a detour around the area, where a river of water was flowing through the apartment complex.
In Brockton, the city worked to clear the sidewalks on Friday, with the mayor complaining that private tow trucks were making the job more difficult.
“Today’s efforts have been slowed by private plows blocking sidewalks while clearing parking lots and driveways,” said Mayor Bill Carpenter, in a Facebook post about snow removal. “We are making every effort to move as much snow as possible before the deep freeze.”
Carpenter said the city's sidewalk plows, which are small tractors with plow and snow blower attachments, were working throughout the day on Friday and late into the night clearing sidewalks.
“The intensity of yesterday’s snow, over 16 inches in eight hours, presents a huge challenge for the smaller sidewalk machines that are not capable of moving that volume of snow at once,” Carpenter said.
During the height of the storm and the immediate aftermath, the city of Brockton had 160 pieces of contracted and city-owned equipment on the streets to remove snow and ice from 300 miles of city roads.
In Easton, Russell Gouldrup was clearing his driveway on Main Street in North Easton Village the old-fashioned way: with a shovel.
“No snowblower for me,” Gouldrup said. “I’ve been shoveling all my life – it keeps me young.”
Gouldrup said he did get some help from a neighbor with a snowblower, though.
“Good neighbors, that’s always a good thing to have in this weather,” he said.
Most of the main roads in Bridgewater were cleared by early Friday, and there were no significant power outages in the area.
“We often criticize the utility companies, but our local National Grid people deserve a note of thanks for making improvements to their lines, trimming trees, staffing a quick-response storm center, and working hand-in-hand with our fire and police departments during the storm,” Bridgewater Town Manager Michael Dutton said on Facebook.
Bridgewater Police Lt. Thomas Schlatz said there were more people on the road than there should have been, but officers “did a good job answering the call in whiteout conditions.”
Raynham Police Lt. David LaPlante echoed his praise for the emergency personnel that were busy at work Thursday.
“Overall everyone yesterday did a great job," LaPlante said. "A lot of cars piled up at the on ramp of Route 24. Our officers monitored the situation and to make travel safer.”
Warm weather will return Tuesday, meteorologists say, with temperatures possibly scraping 40 degrees.