Thursday, 4:30 PM
Even with snow, Valentine's a go
By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff
Neither snow nor sleet will keep the armies of love from their appointed rounds.
With the first Valentine’s Day snowstorm in the Boston area in years forecast for Wednesday, florists, restaurants, and other enablers of romance prepared Tuesday for the wintry blast with a mix of trepidation and hard-headed contingency planning.
"If you’re a real florist, you figure out how to make it work," said Carol Raynor, manager of Greens & Things florist in Keene, N.H., which could get up to 19 inches of snow. "We’ve got a four-wheel-drive Hummer ready."
Many florists delivered Valentine’s bouquets Tuesday, after calling customers to let them know the snow might hamper delivery Wednesday. Some restaurants reported numerous worried callers and an unusual number of cancellations.
The National Weather Service predicted 1 to 3 inches of snow overnight for Boston, followed Wednesday by 3 inches of snow or sleet. Wind gusts could reach 40 miles per hour, sending the wind chill below zero. In short, a winter mess.
"This is the only snow of the winter, and it happens on the worst day for us," said Ted Winston, president of Winston Flowers, which rings up about 8 percent of its annual sales on Valentine’s Day.
