March continues to roar in this year.

Friday through Sunday, March 1-3, residents watched as small systems moved through the area. Just a few inches fell each morning, which most melted away by noon each day.

For the fourth consecutive day, Newtown residents woke up to fresh snow on the ground. Monday was just a little different than the previous days, however. This time, there was nearly a foot waiting to be shoveled or plowed out of the way.

The National Weather Service reported that 11.6 inches of snow was recorded as of 7 am Monday, March 4. Similar reports were made locally, with Southbury reporting 13.8 inches of snow; Shelton reporting 11 inches; Oxford, 10.5; Danbury, 10 inches; Seymour, 9; New Fairfield, 8.5; and Weston and Easton each 8.2, according to the weather service.

Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue had decided on Sunday to close schools on Monday, which helped with the morning commute. Town offices had a delayed opening Monday, opening at 10 am, which gave Highway Department and Parks & Rec crews additional time to clear roads and parking lots.

A few businesses along South Main Street appeared to be on a delayed opening Monday as well. Storefronts were still dark after 9 am for some places, including a breakfast-lunch eatery on South Main that regularly opens at 8 am daily.

By mid-morning, primary roads were clear, just wet. Secondary roads were still slick in some spots, but Public Works Director Fred Hurley fully expected all would be passable by midday.

Town crews began arriving at the Highway Department garage at 7 pm Sunday, Mr Hurley said.

“That was making sure the trucks were ready and loaded,” he added. “It started snowing after that, very lightly, but by 8:30, 9 o’clock, it was coming down pretty good.”

Crews worked overnight, with a focus on keeping what he called “main drags” open.

“This was not one of those storms where you could plow for a while and then relax,” Mr Hurley said. “This type of snow was very slippery — we call it ‘greasy,’” he explained. “They had to keep plowing because if there was a need for a fire truck or an ambulance to get into a main drag, we had to make sure they could get around.”

Focusing on some roads meant others were left for later clearing. Two town trucks had issues during the storm as well, Mr Hurley said. One broke down and another slid off a road, leaving the town short by two vehicles for a few hours

“No one was hurt,” the director was quick to point out. Between those two incidents, however, it meant the morning’s schedule was off slightly.

“The trucks were fixed and back on the road, and they’ve made up for that,” Mr Hurley said.

Town crews will generally need five to eight hours to do their final townwide plow and cleanup, Mr Hurley commented.

“Today we’re running a little longer,” he said on Monday, looking at the 11 o’clock hour. Crews had been doing their townwide cleanup since approximately 5 am. “We probably have another hour or so in town that we need to clean up a little better.

“By noon today, everyone should by completely plowed out and the roads cleared,” he said.

It looks like the roaring lion of March has calmed itself for now. With nearly 12 inches of fresh snow on the ground, skies will be mostly sunny for the remainder of the week.

The bad news is, very cold temperatures are expected to move into the area for the remainder of the week.

The good news is, the word snow does not appear in the National Weather Service forecast for Newtown anywhere in the extended forecast, which runs through Sunday.