Looking east on School Street toward Main Street on Jan. 8, the day after the first winter storm of the year. Telegraph photo by Christopher Roberson

NASHUA – The first winter storm of the year came barreling into Nashua on Jan. 7 and pummeled the Gate City with 15 inches of snow.

“We got a little more than we were expecting,” said Andrew Patrician, assistant director of the Department of Public Works, adding that the forecasted amounts were between nine and 12 inches.

Prior to the storm’s arrival, Patrician said crews were out pretreating the roads with a salt and water mixture called Liquid Brine. He said that in prior years, the DPW had used rock salt, which proved to be less effective as it was pushed to the side of the road by traffic. However, Liquid Brine can be used up to 48 hours in advance and will not activate until a storm begins. Patrician said approximately “4,000 to 6,000” gallons of Liquid Brine were used for this storm.

With 70 pieces of equipment on the road, DPW employees were also pushed to the limit as they engaged in a 44-hour battle to keep Nashua’s streets clear.

“It was a very long storm,” said Patrician, adding that snow was falling at nearly two inches per hour during the evening of Jan. 7 and again during the afternoon of Jan. 8. “Sunday afternoon we got hit again pretty hard.”

Ward 8 Alderman Derek Thibeault agreed that the storm’s duration made the clean-up task much more challenging.

“This was a tough storm because it went so long. I know the DPW is out there trying to do the best they can,” he said. “In Ward 8, we have lots of hills that can be dangerous. We have to be patient. First storms are tough but I have faith in our DPW.”

Despite sending out parking ban notifications, Patrician said more than 190 vehicles had to be towed.

“I think a lot of people didn’t quite get it,” he said, adding that the number of towed vehicles is typically not that high.

Mayor James Donchess expressed his gratitude for the DPW employees who put themselves in harm’s way to keep Nashua’s streets clear.

“I’d like to thank our hard-working City Streets Department for their plowing work during our first storm of the year,” he said. “It’s not an easy task to remove snow and ice from hundreds of miles of surface streets and sidewalks and those who forgo sleep and family time to do it are much appreciated. It can be dangerous and exhausting work and I hope our residents can extend patience and grace to those who are out there in the wee hours doing the best and fastest work they can to clear our roads, and to ensure we all have safe streets and sidewalks.”

Alderman-at-Large Melbourne Moran was also pleased with how the DPW handled the storm.

“As always the hard working people of DPW did a great job keeping up with the snowfall from plowing, shoveling, and everything in between,” he said. “They spent countless hours away from their families, putting themselves at the forefront of this storm to keep Nashua streets clear of snow. This is a perfect time to remind the mayor and my fellow aldermen that DPW deserves more fully funded positions. As our city grows, so does the work at DPW.”

Jennifer Sousa, crime analyst for the Nashua Police Department, said 15 car crashes were reported on Jan. 7.