Wakefield Storm Information Center: Opening Late? Let Us Know...

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Update 10:38 a.m. - Is your Wakefield business opening late Friday or staying closed due to the storm? HD Physical Therapy reports that they've finished shoveling and are now open for business until 7 p.m. Greenwood Wine and Spirits report that it is open until 11 p.m. tonight. Alano's in downtown Wakefield will be open at noon.
Nearby MarketStreet Lynnfield reports it's also done clearing snow, but will officially open at noon for safety. Comment below or on the Wakefield Patch Facebook Page and your business hours will be added at this link.

Update 9:35 a.m. - Can you help this Wakefield woman find her dog? It's a black lab mix with a white chest. A neighbor set off fireworks Thursday night, sending the dog bolting into the storm. She lost sight of the dog around Hamilton Road and Richardson Street. In a possible sighting, a woman on the Wakefield Patch Facebook page said a lab was spotted sitting in front of the Dockside Restaurant early this morning.

Update 9 a.m. Friday - Here's some more updated local snowfall data from the National Weather Service. 10.5 inches reported in Melrose at 7:30 a.m., 15 inches in Lynn at 7:08 a.m. Heading up 95, Topsfield and Boxford both reported over 23 inches.

Update 8:54 a.m. Friday - The Beebe Library reports it will open this morning at 11 a.m.

Update 7:32 a.m. Friday - The National Weather Service had one spotter in Wakefield last night reporting 13 inches of snow in town as of early evening. 9.5 inches were reported in Melrose as of 5:30 a.m. If the figure is correct, a weather spotter in Topsfield reported 23.5 inches in that town this morning.

Update 9:15 p.m. - The Beebe Library will open at a delayed hour on Friday. Consult their website for more information. 

Update 6:23 p.m - The region will be under a blizzard warning tonight until 11 a.m. on Friday. Click here for more details.

Update 3:46 p.m. - A check with Wakefield Police finds there have been only a handful of minor accidents reported in town during the storm so far. Otherwise, people apparently seem to be heeding the call to stay off the roads. A recent check with the DPW also finds no issues or hazards to report.

Update 3:30 p.m. - All Massachusetts courthouses will reopen at noon on Friday.

Update 2:30 p.m. - The Beebe Library in downtown Wakefield is closing at 3 p.m. for the storm.

Update 2:10 p.m. - A trained spotter for the National Weather Service reported on the NWS.gov website 3.6 inches in Wakefield as of 11:54 a.m.

Update 2 p.m. - Classes are canceled in Wakefield for Friday as a result of the ongoing storm. For many local children, this could be remembered as "The Greatest-Timed Snowstorm in History."

Update, 1:48 p.m. - The town conservation commission meeting that was scheduled for tonight has been canceled.

Update, 1:40 p.m. - State workers are heading home at 3 p.m., and Governor Patrick is asking private employers to let their employees head home early due to the intensifying storm. Highways and MBTA service are expected to remain open during the storm. 

Update, 1:30 p.m. - As of 1:30 p.m., here's a rundown of the some of the snowfall totals provided by spotters for the National Weather Service in surrounding towns: Saugus, 2.5 inches as of 11:30 a.m.; North Andover, 3 inches at 10:32 a.m.; West Peabody, 3.5 inches as of 11:30 a.m. 

Update 12:05 p.m. - A check with the Wakefield DPW finds that things are proceeding smoothly in town at this point, with no storm-related emergencies or updates.

Update, 11:55 a.m. - Before any snow from this current storm arrived, the DPW from neighboring Lynnfield reports on its website that the local area had seen 21 inches of snow, most recently a one-inch dusting received on Dec. 26. This means that before this storm arrived, we already exceeded the snowfall for the entire winter of 2012. 

Update, 11:30 a.m. - The National Weather Service warns that wind chill could reach minus 15 degrees tonight. Please be sure to prepare, including by making sure all pets are inside. The NWS has a winter storm warning in effect for this region until 10 a.m. Friday.

A New Year's storm is coming in with a foot or more of snow to wrap up the week. In Wakefield, that's amounted to Thursday off from school so far, with evening and extracurricular activities cancelled as well. 

Area Patch.com editors will be providing news alerts and updates throughout the storm. If you have an update about the storm to share with the community, including neighborhood outages or other safety hazards, email william.laforme@patch.com.


IMPORTANT NUMBERS & WEBSITES

In an emergency, dial 911 and remember that personnel are likely responding to a large number of calls.

Wakefield Police Department (Non-Emergencies): 781-245-1212

Wakefield Fire Department: 781-246-6435

Wakefield DPW: 781-246-6301

Wakefield Municipal Gas Department: 781-246-6363

National Grid Power Outages: 1-800-465-1212 (those using electric-powered life support systems should call 1-800-322-3223).

National Grid Gas Emergencies: 1-800-233-5325

MBTA: Wakefield Station  

Comcast: 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

Verizon: 1-800-VERIZON (1800-837-4966)

Taxi:
Wakefield Taxi, 781-231-0010

Towing:
Gaetas Towing, 978-535-4762 (Peabody)
TTS Road Services 617-884-8555 (Saugus)
Howe's Towing 781-245-2468

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