Second serving of snow on its way

LYNN – Area public works directors are closely watching today?s weather with Lynn officials poised to announce a parking ban as early as noon if afternoon and evening snow predictions add up to “a plowable event.”Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy stressed she hopes to avoid ordering snow-related parking restrictions so as to not impact restaurants enjoying Valentine?s Day weekend business.For the Lynn forecast, click hereBut Acting Interim Public Works Commissioner J.T. Gaucher kept an ear on weather forecasts Friday and into this morning to determine if he must order city crews and contractors to plow snow this evening.Parking bans and other snow emergency updates are posted on the city website: www.ci.lynn.ma.us.If enough snow falls to require plowing, Gaucher said a parking ban would be enforced in the late afternoon and evening so that vehicles can be removed from local streets in advance of nighttime plowing.Public works chiefs in Saugus and Swampscott are hoping snow predictions stay on the light side.?We?re keeping our fingers crossed for a dusting to an inch,” said Saugus Public Works Director Brendan O?Regan.O?Regan and Swampscott Public Works Director Gino Cresta are also keeping one eye on their road salt supplies. Both towns have sufficient salt to treat roads in advance of today?s snowfall, but Cresta said regional road salt supplies have shrunk, partly because salt has been shipped to southern states slammed by ice storms.?I do have enough but barely enough to get through the next storm,” Cresta said.O?Regan said Saugus? road salt supply is sufficient because the department stocked up on road treatment material in anticipation of shortages.But, he said, “We?re not sitting on a mountain or anything.”Thursday?s rain turned to an afternoon snow burst that coated roads and slowed traffic to a crawl. Lynn Police Lt. Richard Donnelly said police logged 11 accidents spanning Thursday into Friday, including an accident with injury on Richardson Road shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday and five accident reports between 1:16 p.m. and 1:49 p.m. Thursday. Three more were reported across Lynn during the following hour.Thursday?s snowfall occurred as students left school for the day but Gaucher said a Saturday snowfall – if it materializes – will give public works employees and emergency responders a break by falling on a day when schools are closed.If plowing is required, snow clearing crews will treat roads with salt or sand before plowing starts to keep any snow building up on them from freezing.Gaucher said Lynn crews spent Friday plowing or spreading salt on “complaint” locations called in to Public Works employees by residents concerned about unplowed streets or hazardous conditions.