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Photo by Fritz Rethage  ·    Posted December 26, 2005



First Major Snow Of The Season

Previously this season there was a dusting, then about 2" fell on Sunday, December 4th, but on Friday, December 9th the area received its first snow. About 6 to 8 inches blanketed the area in a fast moving storm during the morning hours and ending about noon.

The Hasbrouck Heights Board of Education canceled school.

About 1.5 inches accumulated hourly during the morning rush hour.

The Department of Public Works was ready with all plows and salt spreaders loaded Thursday evening.

The town was set up into four sections: two-truck teams with plows and spreaders covering the north, central and south sections. The roads on the hill from Terrace to Rt. 17 were handled by front end loaders.

Smaller "mason’s style" dump trucks took care of Borough property, cul-de-sacs and dead end streets.

The curb-to-curb plowing service was accomplished in part by the no on-street parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. rule.

By noon, the sun was shining and the roads were plowed clear.

Snow removal began on Friday night with the schools and churches being done first, followed by the sidewalks and curbs along The Boulevard Business District.

The cost related to this snow clean-up for the Borough was estimated to be $13,200 and included overtime, fuel, salt usage, etc.

Costs included clearing during the storm as well as cleaning The Boulevard and school crossings which weredone Friday and Saturday nights. The county will reimburse Hasbrouck Heights $320 for plowing county roads.

State DOT officials estimated that clearing the roads costs about $4 million in materials, salaries and contractor payments this snowfall. The DOT’s snow budget is about $11.3 million.

The average seasonal snowfall for our area is about 30 inches and the average December snowfall is 4 inches.

According to the the online version of the almanac, snowfall will be much greater than normal this season with the biggest snowfalls in early December and the second half of January.

Then again, weather experts stated it could be sunny and warm for the rest of the season. ###

The DPW reminds residents not to throw their snow into the streets thinking that the traffic will dissipate the snow.

Actually, the snow often re-freezes causing hazardous driving conditions.

The DPW also asks that residents not park in the streets until the plowing has been completed.

Keeping the streets clear facilitates the DPW to provide curb to curb snowplowing service.

Residents and businesses are reminded that they are responsible for clearing their sidewalks within 24 hours after the snow stops.

The Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department also asks residents and businesses to keep the fire hydrants cleared of snow. ###

Winter Snow Storms ... Movies:   Plowing Circle Christmas Day 2002 DPW plowing The Boulevard December 6, 2003 [1][2] HHFD Ladder Company responding to call Dec. 14, 2003 [900k] #### Winter Said Hello February 12 2006 First Major Snow of the Season  December 9, 2005 Presidential Surprise February 21, 2005 DPW Does A Great Job... Again!   January 22, 2005 Scenes Around Snowy Heights January 23, 2005 March Blast   March 16, 2004 Snow Storm   January 28, 2004 Snow Storm  December 14, 2003 Back-to-back Storm Storms  December 5-6, 2003 Blizzard '03  Feb. 17, 2003     Spring Surprise  April 7. 2003   2002-2003 -- First snow Dec. 5, 2002      White Christmas 2002   2001-2002 -- Around Town   January 20, 2002   2000-2001 -- The (Almost) Storm of Century  March 4-5, 2001        Around Town Photos January 2001        Holiday Snow Storm Dec. 30, 2000  [Photos][Woodland Park]   1999-2000 -- First Snow of the Century Jan. 20, 2000 [Photos][Woodland Park] ###### Early Storms Big pre-December 10th snowstorms since 1949 Measurmeents at Newark Liberty Airport Source: NE Regional Climatic Data Center, Ithaca, NY Dec. 5-6, 2003 15.9 Dec. 3-4, 1957 13.3 Dec. 5, 2002 8.0 Nov. 22-23, 1989 5.7 Dec. 2-3, 1952 4.8 Dec.8-9, 1958 4.5 Dec. 5-6, 1985 3.7