A nor'easter announces itself on Cape Ann hours ahead — the wind swings around, the gulls head inland, and Route 127 empties out. RB Strong runs the storm from that first shift, plowing driveways clear, cutting paths to doors, and coming back through when the wind has filled a lane in again. Steps, landings and short walks get shoveled and then sanded or salted before the refreeze. Gloucester storms often start as rain and end as something dense enough to lean on, which is why timing matters as much as equipment. Morning after: a driveway that looks like the storm skipped it.