Update: Ice & Rain Freeze Waterford

School is beginning to seem like a distant memory.

The last time Waterford students had class was Tuesday, Jan. 11. Two snow days canceled Jan. 12 and 13, then the district had a scheduled furlough day on Jan. 14, then Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 17 and now today, another snow day.

Or perhaps more accurately, an ice day.

"It's just one of those years," Assistant Superintendent Craig Powers said.

Three snow days are built into the schedule, so the last day of school will not change. All additional snow days will be made up at the end of the year, Powers said.

The last day of school is set for June 21. Any additional snow days will push that date back.

This string of snow began on Jan. 12, the day exams were expected to start at Waterford High School. Students will now have an entire week and one day to study, Powers said.

"We are expecting all As," Waterford High School Principal Donald Macrino joked.

The district is responsible for removing snow at the schools, and all these snow days does lead to overtime, Powers said. However, overtime has been cut in many other areas, so the overtime budget as a whole should fall under budget, he said.

"I'm not too worried about it right now," Powers said.

Town-Side

After the last storm on Jan. 12, the town had used about 50 percent of its $60,000 budget for snow removal, First Selectman Dan Steward said. That number should only increase after today, as trucks have been out dropping sand and salt over the roads, he said.

Since the last storm was so close to this one though, it will be cheaper to clean up, Steward said. Much of the sand dropped last week has stayed on the roads, making them easier to navigate, he said.

"The roads were bad, but not as bad as I thought they'd be," Steward said.

Even if the town does go over budget on snow removal, other funds can be found elsewhere in the budget, Steward said. The absolute last resort would be to ask the Board of Finance for money from the general fund, Steward said.

"Even that would not be the worst thing in the world," he said. "But I don't anticipate having to do that."

Town Hall is open today and will have its regular hours, Steward said.

Police

So far, no major accidents have been reported in Waterford, Waterford Police Dispatch said. Police are encouraging drivers to stay off the road unless absolutely necessary.

Route 95 is beginning to ice over, Connecticut State Police Troop E Barrack dispatch reported. No major accidents have been reported, but the roads are slippery, dispatch said.

Also, be careful of heavy snows on the rooftops, only getting heavier from the rain, Police Lieutenant Brett Mahoney said. All that extra weight could collapse the roof of a building, Mahoney said.

Clean all gutters, so rain can run escape off of the roof, and if possible remove snow from your roofline, Mahoney said.

Forecast

Freezing rain is expected until 10 p.m. tonight, weather.com said.

On Wednesday, the rain is expected to stop in the morning, but could start up again around 11 a.m., the site reported. The high for the next 24 hours is 41, with temperatures expected to stay over 32, the site said.

Editor's Note: The original story said there was two snow days built into the school calender, but there are three. The last day of school has not changed.