VERNON, Conn. — As the first flakes of the season started to fly people already had winter on their minds.
"I've been checking the weather and all my friends have to so can't wait," said Caroline Purcaro of Ellington.
For some, it's just a part of living in New England, and once the temperatures start to drop, they know it's time to have the salt and shovels handy.
"Sitting out there right by my door, we're ready. I don't shovel though, that's what kids are for," said Nora Dubay of Vernon.
If you haven't thought about it yet, this first snow is a good reminder.
"I hadn't really thought about it until you just said something but I do have some so I'll probably pull them out eventually when we hear that we're gonna get a good you know whack of snow," said Suzanne Neron of Vernon.
Towns and cities are ready to go for the season. In Vernon, the department of public works loaded trucks up with salt Tuesday afternoon in case they needed to go out on the roads.
"Our public works department was preparing for the last couple of days getting our trucks ready making sure that we're good to go if needed and hopefully we're not, but we're prepared," said Michael Purcaro, town administrator and emergency and risk management director for the town of Vernon.
Their salt pile is fully stocked and positions are filled ahead of this winter.
However, even though it's not quite winter yet officials said it's especially important to be prepared for the first snowfall
"While it's not a lot of snow we're seeing in our forecast it is the first snow and that's always the most concerning for us in the beginning of the season because it takes people time to reacclimate to the driving that's required," Purcaro said.
So whether you look forward to the cold or dread it, get ready.
"I'm not really into the winter so much but it's here," Neron said.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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