Vt. escapes major storm lightly

Friday's Blizzard dumped nearly 3 feet of snow in Connecticut. But only 4 inches in Rutland while Springfield reports measured as much as 16 inches.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130210/NEWS01/702109937

While a historic snowstorm wreaked havoc across much of New England on Saturday, dumping up to 3 feet of snow and leaving 650,000 homes without power, in Rutland it might be remembered most for helping police to solve a crime. Rutland City Police followed a set of footprints in the 4 inches of snow that fell in the city overnight to a man who they charged with breaking into the Midway Mobil on South Main Street. The trail that police followed at about 3 a.m. Saturday led from a smashed window at the convenience store across South Main Street onto Clover Street where officers found the suspect, 42-year-old Dean Hugerth, shoveling snow from a driveway. “Oh yeah, for this one the weather did help,” Sgt. James Tarbell said Saturday. “The city didn’t come out and plow until later so that helped us too because the officers just followed the tracks. Hugerth, who police say was shoveling snow outside a home he didn’t live in, was arrested and jailed for allegedly stealing “numerous” cartons of cigarettes. The 4 inches of snow reported in Rutland and its surrounding communities was among the lightest snowfall totals in the state from a winter storm of monstrous proportions. Most of the state received anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow, as was the case in the Barre-Montpelier area. Some communities, such as Springfield, reported accumulations of up to 16 inches. No mail was delivered Saturday in Vermont, as the U.S. Postal Service shut down operations in all six New England states due to the storm. It’s an unusual move, said Postal Service spokeswoman Christine Dugas, but roads across parts of New England were closed or difficult to navigate early Saturday. In some states, such as Massachusetts and Connecticut, governors temporarily ordered all roads closed to public traffic. In other states, roads remained open but people were warned to stay off them. Nearly 2 feet of snow fell in the Boston area and Connecticut was buried under almost 3 feet. “A lot of the time we would get a lot of snow from a Nor’easter,” said National Weather Service meteorologist John Goff in Burlington. “This one was just far enough east so that we didn’t get the worst of it.” And for all the warnings leading up to the storm, Vermont appeared to weather it well in most respects. Police dispatchers from Barre and Montpelier to Bennington and Brattleboro reported no serious accidents and very few minor crashes as a result of the snowfall. “We got abut a foot, but as far as weather-related things go, it was an uneventful (Friday) evening,” said Brattleboro Police Sgt. Mark Carignan. In Barre, police Sgt. Bob Miller said the foot of snow that fell in the city contributed to only a handful of minor crashes and nothing else. “We had no problems with the storm,” he said. “We have a pretty good road crew. They did a good job cleaning the roads.” Vermont’s biggest utility, Green Mountain Power, reported almost no power outages despite the snowfall and winds that topped 40 mph. At 9:30 a.m., the utility was reporting only two outages statewide. By Saturday afternoon, that was reduced to one home without power in Weathersfield. “Because of the nature of the storm and the cold the snow was light and fluffy so it was no problem for us,” said GMP spokesman Jeremy Baker. Residents elsewhere in the Northeast were not so fortunate, as 650,000 homes were reported without power as of Saturday afternoon. At Hartness State Airport in North Springfield, assistant airport manager Shayne Wilcox said the airport closed at 6 p.m. Friday. The airport reopened shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday. Amtrak canceled its Vermonter service Saturday between St. Albans and Springfield, Mass., as well as all connections between New York City and Boston. Passengers who had already bought tickets for Saturday can receive a refund or a voucher for future travel. The company said it would issue information about Sunday service at www.amtrak.com. Wind was also an issue in Vermont. Ferry service between Charlotte and Essex, N.Y., was canceled Saturday because of high gusts. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Vt. escapes major storm lightly By Brent Curtis STAFF WRITER | February 10,2013 Rutland Herald