Blizzard Live Blog: Schools Closed Thursday, Most Have Power Back in Hamilton

With a in less than three weeks predicted for Wednesday, we are running another blizzard live blog. We will update with local developments regarding the storm until the snow stops falling. To contribute, send an e-mail to robertg@patch.com.

7:45 p.m. The number of National Grid electric customers without power in Hamilton is down to 49 from 252 customers a half hour earlier.

There are still 54 customers without power in Wenham, most of them along Larch Row.

7:30 p.m. The unofficial Hamilton-Wenham Patch snowstorm total in Wenham is 17 inches. The temperature is back down to 27 degrees and it is still snowing very lightly.

7 p.m. Schools will be closed on Thursday and reopen as usual on Friday, Assistant Superintendent Peter Gray announced in an e-mail sent through the BlackBoard Connect system.

"After speaking with our local public works departments and our school facilities director, it has been decided that we will be closing all schools tomorrow, January 13th in order to allow us to continue to clean up after today's storm," Gray said.

6:20 p.m. There are still 234 National Grid electric customers without power in Hamilton, with 203 of those in the Gardner, Moulton and Sagamore streets area. They have been without power since 2:15 p.m. and are expected to have power back by 11 p.m.

In Wenham, there are 54 electric customers without power. The bulk of those - 44 customers - are along Larch Row west of the four corners. They lost power at about 5:30 p.m. and are expected to get it back by 9:15 p.m.

5:30 p.m. Trees and wires are down on Larch Row in Wenham west of the four corner and were moved to the side of the road.

5:15 p.m. The storm has largely moved off the coast but a batch of precipitation still sits over the North Shore and Hamilton-Wenham.

4:20 p.m. The National Weather Service cancels the blizzard warning that has been in place for most of the day. It is now a winter storm warning, meaning up to another inch of snow bringing the storm total to between 12 and 18 inches.

3:50 p.m. MBTA commuter rail train 176 that is scheduled to leave Hamilton-Wenham station headed to Boston is running 50 minutes late.

3:45 p.m. The largest area affected by a power outage in Hamilton now has its power back. Seven percent of electric customers in both towns are without power. In Hamilton, that is 208 customers generally along Gardner, Moulton and Sagamore streets.

3:30 p.m. A peak wind gust recoded today was 23 miles per hour at a weather station in Ipswich, the closest public weather station to Hamilton-Wenham.

3:15 p.m. State Department of Transportation cameras on main roads, including Route 128, are showing some black pavement.

2:30 p.m. A widespread power outage has been reported by National Grid. About 52 percent of Hamilton is without power, which includes most of the east side of town. There are other spotty areas without power. National Grid says it will have power back by 11 p.m.

2 p.m. Looking for a hot cup 'o Joe? in The Shoppes at Hamilton Crossing appears to be the only place in the two towns serving hot coffee this afternoon. The store plans to close early at 5 p.m. An employee at Dunkin Donuts reports that in the plaza is also open.

1:55 p.m. Asplundh Tree Co. crew working on some limbs on the wires at Highland and Linden streets in Hamilton.

1:45 p.m. MBTA commuter rail train 169 scheduled to arrive in Hamilton-Wenham from Boston at 2:02 p.m. is running 25-30 minutes late because of weather-related problems.

1:30 p.m. Tree limbs were down on wires in the yard of a Grapevine road home near the intersection of Larch Row in Wenham.

1:15 p.m. The storm total is 15 inches of snow in Wenham. The temperature is 30 degrees and is is still snowing moderately.

1:05 p.m. Tree limbs are down on wires at the cul-de-sac on Morgan Street in Wenham.

12:50 p.m. MBTA commuter rail trains are experiencing "weather related delays." The T says that train 168, scheduled to leave the Hamilton-Wenham station for Boston at 11:25 a.m. is running a hour late. It should now arrive in Boston between 1:10 and 1:15 p.m.

12:45 p.m. Gov. Deval Patrick announces that he is activating 250 National Guard members to assist with the storm and several shelters are being established for those without power. The closest shelter to Hamilton-Wenham is in Gloucester.

12:40 The trees and wires have been cleared from Larch Row in Wenham and the road is open.

12:30 p.m. Gov. Deval Patrick, in a press conference from the "Framingham bunker,"  declares a state of emergency because of the snow storm.

12:15 p.m. Still looking for lunch? We've done a phone survey and have found just one restaurant open and serving lunch today - Hamilton House of Pizza. All of the other establishments that serve lunch appear to be closed.

12:10 p.m. Larch Row between the railroad tracks and Main Street in Wenham is blocked by a fallen pine tree that pulled down electrical wires too.

12:05 p.m. The is headed to a Rock Maple Avenue address for a tree that has fallen on a house.

11:55 a.m. Hungry for lunch? There is no pizza delivery in Hamilton today. is open but not delivering and there's no answer at .

11:30 a.m. The Hamilton Fire Department treked through the snow up to for a fire alarm in the Kerr building likely caused by a power surge.

11:25 a.m. Some limbs are reported down on Waldingfield Road in Hamilton.

11 a.m. Wenham now has more than a foot of snow on the ground as a result of Wednesday's blizzard. The unofficial total is now 13 inches. The temperature has dropped four degrees in the past two hours and it is now 27 degrees. Snow is still falling at a moderate to heavy rate.

The snowfall rate for the past three hours has been 1.7 inches per hour.

10:40 a.m. The MBTA reports that all commuter rail trains north of Boston - including those in and out of the Hamilton-Wenham station - are running 20-30 minutes late because of "weather related problems."

10:25 a.m. The update from National Grid is that 239 electric customers in Wenham are without power, or about 1.5 percent of the electric customers in Wenham. The largest single outage area is at the end of Pleasant Street near Pleasant Pond.

10:10 a.m. National Grid has bumped back the estimated time that all power will be restored in Wenham to 1:15 p.m.

9:50 a.m. Regional report: Amtrak service between Boston and New York City has been suspended because of a downed tree in Sharon. The Celtics say the game tonight against Sacramento at TD Garden will be played as usual.

9:35 a.m. At least one Wenham DPW plow is being directed specifically to Cedar Street to assist firefighters and ambulance with a medical call.

9:30 a.m. National Grid reports that 46 customers in Wenham are without electric power, with most of them in scattered pockets in West Wenham off of Cedar, Cherry, Pleasant and Topsfield roads. The residents without power represent less than half a percent of the electric customers in Wenham. Power is expected to be restored by 12:30 p.m.

In Hamilton, fewer than five electric customers are without power in the area of Walnut Road near the Shoppes at Hamilton Crossing.

9:15 The snowfall rate remains at about 1.25 inch per hour and the temperature is still at 31 degrees. Occasional strong wind gusts are observed but the heavy, wet snow is stuck to many trees and limbs.

9:10 a.m. A cable wire is across Lincoln Avenue in Hamilton, partially blocking the road.

9 a.m. A limb is down on Moulton Street in Hamilton and the road remains passable.

8:50 a.m. A tree and wires were reported down in the yard of a residence on Tally Ho Drive in Hamilton. The road remains passable.

8:20 a.m. The National Weather Services reissues its blizzard warning by continuing it until 8 pm. on Wednesday. A total of 12-18 inches of snow are expected to fall with winds gusting up t0 45 miles per hour, the weather service said.

8:15 a.m. Based on our two most recent snow measurements, it has been snowing at a rate just over an inch an hour since sunrise.

8:05 a.m. The state Department of Transportation reports that 3,990 pieces of snow removal equipment are out clearing the roads.

8 a.m. The storm total is 8 inches of new snow. The temperature is 31 degrees and heavy snow is still falling.

7:35 a.m. Wenham resident Sandy Warner reports the residents without power in Wenham are on Orchard Lane. Homes on Burley Street still have power, Warner reports.

7:30 a.m. Snow photo from Hamilton resident is shown on NECN.

7 a.m. Director John Tomasz reports that daylight has made plowing much easier for the town's 18 plow crews on the road.

"A heavy snow with a driving wind is making it impossible to get ahead," Tomasz said.

6:45 a.m. The MBTA reports that to and from Hamilton-Wenham and Boston is delayed by 10-15 minutes because of a problem with a gate in Chelsea.

6:35 a.m. National Grid reports that about five customers are without electric power on Burley Street in Wenham. Power is expected to be back by 11:15 a.m. Power outages are much more widespread in neighboring Beverly, where more than 3,000 customers in the Ryal Side and Raymond Farms neighborhoods are without power.

6:15 a.m. Massachusetts Department of Transportation Jeffrey Mullan updates on Twitter than he just got off a call with Gov. Deval Patrick and that the transportation department is using all of its snow removal equipment and the MBTA is running.

6 a.m. Liberty Tree and North Shore malls in Danvers and Peabody announce both malls will not open until 1 p.m.

5:45 a.m. There is 5.5 inches of new snow on the ground in Wenham and it is snowing heavily. The temperature is 31 degrees and the wind is gusty.

4:30 a.m. A car was off the road on Moulton Street in Hamilton. No injuries reported.

12:45 a.m. The temperature has gone up two degree in the past hour. Now 29 degrees and still snowing lightly.

12:30 a.m. National Weather Service issues an update on its blizzard warning to say that it remains in effect until 8 p.m. The weather services says that the heaviest snow will fall through Wednesday morning at rates up to two to three inches per hour. Wind will blow at 20-30 miles per hours with gusts up to 45 mph with visibility below a quarter mile.

Tuesday, Jan. 11

11:45 p.m. Light snow begins falling in Wenham and the temperature is 27 degrees.

8:25 p.m. (R-Ipswich) announces that the meeting scheduled for Wednesday night in Ipswich to update local officials about the condition of state finances has been cancelled.

6:25 p.m. will be closed on Wednesday because of the snow storm, according to an announcement from Traci Masterson, administrative assistant to Wenham Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren. Also, all Wenham town meetings for Wednesday are also cancelled.

6:15 p.m. in Hamilton announces that school is cancelled on Wednesday and that all afterschool activities and sports game are cancelled too.

4:30 p.m. director Jan Dempsey announces that the library will be closed on Wednesday because of the storm.

4:20 p.m. The National Weather Service changes the winter storm warning to a blizzard warning for Wednesday from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. The weather services says that heavy snow combined with frequent wind gusts over 35 miles per hour for hours on end will create blizzard conditions on Wednesday.

4 p.m. are cancelled for Wednesday.

3:30 p.m. announces it will be closed on Wednesday because of the storm and will reopen at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

3:15 p.m. Trash pickup in Hamilton is cancelled for Wednesday and delayed by a day for the rest of the week. Town officials in Hamilton also announce that will be closed on Wednesday because of the storm.

3 p.m. director Bill Tyack reports that all of the town’s plow crews are ready to go.

2 p.m. The indoor track meet and swim meet both scheduled for Wednesday afternoon are cancelled and rescheduled. The indoor track met is rescheduled for Feb. 2 and a new date for the swim meet has not been announced.