Waltham escaped relatively unscathed yesterday as the city was spared the brunt of a winter storm that brought a messy mix of snow and ice to much of New England.
The combination of snow, sleet and freezing rain that hit Waltham and the rest of Greater Boston early yesterday changed to rain by mid-morning and created a sloppy mush for commuters.
Still, police and fire officials reported no major weather-related accidents. Mayor Jeannette McCarthy said there had been no problems reported to her office as a result of the storm. The mayor said she had only received a couple of complaints about cleanup efforts on streets and sidewalks.
McCarthy said the morning commute for most was likely eased by the Waltham public schools' decision to open two hours late yesterday.
Charlie Foley, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said rainfall could continue until this morning. He said temperatures were expected to stay above freezing overnight and stay in the mid to upper 30s today so there should be little chance of the moisture refreezing on most roads.
"You may see some spotty patches, but generally I don't think that's going to be a problem," Foley said.
Foley said the majority of the ice accumulation occurred further west of the Boston area.
Foley said by the time the rainfall ends, some spots could expect to receive over an inch or so, which could lead to flooding in some areas.
Foley said to expect some "pretty robust" winds today that could reach up to 40 miles per hour.
NStar reported yesterday afternoon about a dozen power outages in the Waltham area, said Michael Durand, spokesman for the utility.
Durand added that all of those outages may not have been weather related.
Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.
