5 Things You Need To Know Today, Friday, Feb. 8

Here are 5 pieces of information designed to keep your spirits up as the snow falls today and to help make you the smartest person in your neighborhood.

1. Your Local 3-Day Weather Forecast:

• I'll admit, this is a little redundant with out blizzard coverage, but according to the NWS, today you will see snow, mainly after 8am. Patchy fog before 4pm. Patchy freezing fog after 4pm. High near 33. East wind 8 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
• Friday Night Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Patchy freezing fog before 2am. Low around 20. Windy, with a north wind 24 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 10 to 16 inches possible.
• Saturday Snow, mainly before 2pm. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 22. Wind chill values as low as -1. Windy, with a north wind 23 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
• Saturday Night A slight chance of snow before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. Blustery, with a northwest wind 13 to 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Sunday Sunny, with a high near 33.
• Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 15.

2. And Speaking of the Blizzard: You're going to want to check back often at the Tewskbury Patch Storm Center for all of the up-to-the-minute information on the big storm.

3. Reader Comment of the Day: "I deliver newspapers on Salem and both ends of South street. I constantly get beeped at for going the speed limit. Last week I was taking a left on Mississippi and a car passed me on my left as I was turning left. If I hadn't pulled back in time, i would have been done. They continued to pass me on my left at a high rate of speed." Reader Linda, commenting on the story, "Victim Clings To Life After Salem Street Accident."

4. Quote of the Day: "The best thing people can do to help us is if they clean their driveways or have their driveways polowed by a private contractor, not to move the snow out into street." Tewksbury DPW Administrator Brian Gilbert, discussing plowing during the storm.

5. By The Numbers: 76 and 314. That's the number of plows that will be pressed into action today in Tewksbury and the number of "lane miles" they will be responsible for keeping as drivable as possible.