DPW Stands Ready for the Storm

Superintendent David Crouse has been plowing Grafton streets for 14 years. He has never had to plow in October.

If the forecast holds, that could change tonight.

Fifteen pieces of town snow removal equipment stand ready to hit the roads overnight.

The National Weather Service has issued a storm watch and is predicting two to five inches of snow could fall Saturday night into Sunday morning.

The trick to tackling an early snowfall, Crouse said, is timing it correctly. Because the roads are still warm this time of year, salt and sand spread too early can melt and wash away.

“We try to time it just when the weather turns from rain to snow,’’ he said.

His crew is prepared for lengthy stretches behind the wheel of the equipment, he said. “It’s the beginning of the long hours,’’ he said.

Or maybe not, he said, chuckling.

“Maybe we’ll get it out of the way’’ now, he said.