Schools closed early and emergency crews dealt with dozens of weather-related accidents Thursday in the region’s second major snow storm this week. Several schools are closed again today.
The complex storm system kept the majority of the Capital Region drenched in rain but dumped over a foot of snow farther up the Mohawk Valley.
“Currently it’s snowing, and it’s going to snow a lot more,” Warren Snyder, science and operations manager for the National Weather Service in Albany, said Thursday afternoon.
More school closings are in effect today. Schools in the following districts are closed today: Berne-Knox-Westerlo, Canajoharie, Cobleskill-Richmondville, Fonda-Fultonville, Fort Plain, Middleburgh, Schoharie, Sharon Springs and St. Johnsville. Two-hour delays are in effect in Amsterdam, Duanesburg and Johnstown.
Students who had a day off from school Wednesday due to the snow were let out early Thursday as school districts throughout Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie and western Schenectady counties closed. Fulton-Montgomery Community College and SUNY Cobleskill also canceled afternoon classes.
Amsterdam City Hall closed at noon Thursday.
Despite the hazardous driving conditions that sent tractor-trailers and other vehicles sliding off the roadways, no major accidents were reported by late Thursday afternoon. County sheriff’s departments reported vehicles off the roads and minor fender-benders. No major accidents were reported on the state Thruway, either, although cars were off the road between Amsterdam and St. Johnsville in both the east and westbound lanes. The state Department of Transportation reported that a tractor-trailer had temporarily blocked a section of Interstate 88 near Exit 23.
In Schoharie County, where an additional 20 inches was expected in the hill towns, Emergency Management Director Judith Warner said officials were keeping in touch with National Grid for updates and urged homeowners to take precautions in case there were power outages.
Parts of southern Schoharie County and northern Fulton County were expected to see up to 20 inches of additional snow on top of at least a foot of lingering snow from Tuesday night’s storm.
Closer to Albany, rain was expected through Thursday night, followed by periods of snow and rain with accumulations between 3 and 4 inches.
Snyder said there was enough snow in the Capital Region to absorb the water, so flooding did not appear to be a danger, although the rivers are expected to rise.
The storm is expected to diminish this morning, Snyder said, and the periods of light snow expected throughout the weekend shouldn’t amount to much.
“We’re not going to see the sun for a while,” he said. “At least not this weekend.”
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
