Community Corner
Worcester Preps For Icing As Temperatures Plummet
It was near 50 in Worcester on Friday, but temperatures will drop into the single digits overnight — and lower with the wind chill.
WORCESTER, MA — As soon as Friday's rain ends, Worcester will begin treating city roads for ice with a big cooldown coming in the overnight hours.
Temperatures reached into the 50s in the Worcester area Friday during a windy, rainy winter storm. That wind will continue overnight, according to forecasts, and coincide with temperatures swinging into the single-digits by early Christmas Eve.
Worcester's overnight low temperature: 9 degrees. Factor in the wind chill, and it will be below zero.
"DPW&P deployed storm crews overnight Thursday and into Friday, and they will begin treating roads as soon as the rain ceases to prevent them from freezing and creating hazardous conditions," the city said in a Friday news release. "Motorists are urged to exercise caution and patience to allow crews to work."
The city also advised residents to guard against the cold at home, taking pets inside and taking steps to prevent pipes from freezing.
Officials also said the city's homeless outreach team would be out trying to bring unsheltered people indoors over the cold Christmas weekend. The city has two main shelters available with about 120 beds total — although beds have been filling fast:
- SMOC shelter, 25 Queen St.
- Blessed Sacrament Phelan Center, 551 Pleasant St.
For questions about winter weather service, Worcester residents can dial 311.
