Travelers had a bit of a tough time Friday, and schoolchildren got an early start to their holiday break as a serious snowstorm blew through the region.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Tom Reynolds cleans his car off as his coworker Andy Ehle arrives to give him a jump start in Auburn Friday.
Tom Reynolds cleans his car off as his coworker Andy Ehle arrives to give him a jump start in Auburn Friday.
“It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” Cayuga County Highway Superintendent George Wethey said Friday evening while taking a break from plowing more than 400 miles of county roads and state highways.
Cayuga County officials issued a travel advisory for all area roads Friday and the County Office Building closed at 3 p.m., but emergency personnel continued operations as usual.
All nine school districts in Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES were closed Friday and classes at Cayuga Community College were also canceled.
Wethey said there were a number of cars off the roads in ditches, but his 18 trucks were out there doing their jobs plowing and salting. A couple had to come in temporarily while vehicles blocking roads were moved.
By 6 p.m. the snow began letting up, but Wethey's warriors had another problem.
“The biggest thing is that the wind's picking up outside,” Wethey said. “Especially outside of Auburn. Now we're dealing with drifting on some of the higher volume roads.”
The county trucks began salting at 9 a.m., so the snow wouldn't stick and create a hard pack. They plow for two to 3.5 hours at a stretch, take a break, and go back out in shifts.
“The snow was really coming down hard between 9 and 10 a.m. when we went out,” he said. The crew will be out until around 9 or 10, then go back out at 3 a.m.
Wethey anticipated they would be dealing with wind and snow again on Sunday.
“We're just bearing it out,” said Sgt. Brian Clancy of the Auburn Police Department. “Our main problems is cars that aren't properly parked, mainly on the side streets.” He said that besides getting the owners out to move their cars, some had to be towed because they were parked on the wrong side and blocking snowplows.
Christina Reale, spokesperson for Syracuse Hancock International airport said afternoon cancellations came in from Washington National Airport, Boston, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Departures were canceled to Philadelphia, Washington National, Kennedy, Boston and Atlanta airports. Otherwise, there were numerous delays throughout the day.
Snow accumulations ranged from 8 to 12 inches across western and central New York, according to the National Weather Service.
With snow falling at the rate of an inch or more per hour Friday afternoon, all roads in the county remained open according to a news release from the sheriff's office, but winds increased to between 15 and 25 mph later in the day, with gusts up to 30 mph, causing drifting and visibility problems.
A travel advisory means that all motorists are encouraged to use caution and reduce speeds on all county roads. Difficult driving was expected.
The sheriff's office said that all village town, county and state highway departments were working to keep the roads clear.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
Cayuga County officials issued a travel advisory for all area roads Friday and the County Office Building closed at 3 p.m., but emergency personnel continued operations as usual.
All nine school districts in Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES were closed Friday and classes at Cayuga Community College were also canceled.
Wethey said there were a number of cars off the roads in ditches, but his 18 trucks were out there doing their jobs plowing and salting. A couple had to come in temporarily while vehicles blocking roads were moved.
By 6 p.m. the snow began letting up, but Wethey's warriors had another problem.
“The biggest thing is that the wind's picking up outside,” Wethey said. “Especially outside of Auburn. Now we're dealing with drifting on some of the higher volume roads.”
The county trucks began salting at 9 a.m., so the snow wouldn't stick and create a hard pack. They plow for two to 3.5 hours at a stretch, take a break, and go back out in shifts.
“The snow was really coming down hard between 9 and 10 a.m. when we went out,” he said. The crew will be out until around 9 or 10, then go back out at 3 a.m.
Wethey anticipated they would be dealing with wind and snow again on Sunday.
“We're just bearing it out,” said Sgt. Brian Clancy of the Auburn Police Department. “Our main problems is cars that aren't properly parked, mainly on the side streets.” He said that besides getting the owners out to move their cars, some had to be towed because they were parked on the wrong side and blocking snowplows.
Christina Reale, spokesperson for Syracuse Hancock International airport said afternoon cancellations came in from Washington National Airport, Boston, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Atlanta. Departures were canceled to Philadelphia, Washington National, Kennedy, Boston and Atlanta airports. Otherwise, there were numerous delays throughout the day.
Snow accumulations ranged from 8 to 12 inches across western and central New York, according to the National Weather Service.
With snow falling at the rate of an inch or more per hour Friday afternoon, all roads in the county remained open according to a news release from the sheriff's office, but winds increased to between 15 and 25 mph later in the day, with gusts up to 30 mph, causing drifting and visibility problems.
A travel advisory means that all motorists are encouraged to use caution and reduce speeds on all county roads. Difficult driving was expected.
The sheriff's office said that all village town, county and state highway departments were working to keep the roads clear.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
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