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Wintry mix closes schools, sends cars sliding

Feb 4, 2008 | Kim Dunne | Herkimer Telegram

Dozens of school closings, many reports of minor motor vehicle accidents and snow, sleet, freezing rain and ice. That was the scene all day Friday.

For days meteorologists had been reporting a messy travel situation for Friday, but even before the snow and ice began, all local schools had closed in preparation of what was expected.

The snow began around 8 a.m. in Herkimer County, and at times could be seen blowing sideways when the wind picked up.

The National Weather Service first issued a winter weather advisory, but by early Friday that was upgraded to a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. Friday. As if that wasn't enough, Oneida County was also issued an ice storm warning until 8 p.m. Friday. As of Friday evening, the winter storm warning for Herkimer County was extended until 7 a.m. Saturday.

WKTV meteorologist Matt Lanza said he was concerned about the possibility of ice, especially with the ice storm warning.

Lanza says between one quarter of an inch and one half of an inch of ice was expected for just about everyone in Central New York.

"One quarter of an inch doesn't cause significant problems. It creates some messy roads, primarily on the backroads," Lanza said. "One third of an inch begins to cause more significant problems. One half of an inch is when you get the serious problems with trees and powerlines. This could be a very significant ice storm for us."

A final estimate of how much ice areas saw was not available by press time.

Traveling throughout the day on Friday was highly discouraged as roadways were messy and ice covered.

Herkimer village police reported no significant motor vehicle accidents or downed power lines or trees due to the ice.

In Marcy, one person was reportedly taken to the hospital after the car that person was driving flipped into a ditch and filled with water and slush.

In the Albany area, at least four people were killed in traffic accidents.

New York State troopers reported more than 200 accidents along the New York State Thruway on Friday, up from between 10 and 15 accidents on a clear day.

In addition to the snow, sleet and ice, wind gusts reached 35 to 40 miles per hour in some locations, making travel even more difficult for those that had to be on the road Friday and for those having to walk to any location.

By Friday night the sleet and ice had turned to mostly rain with temperatures above the freezing mark in many locations, causing some localized flooding and more minor motor vehicle accidents, mainly cars sliding off the road, as the rain and wind made traveling difficult.

The forecast for the weekend looks quieter. There's a 30 percent chance of snow on Saturday with highs in the mid 30s. Saturday night will be partly cloudy with lows in the lower 20s. Sunday is expected to be mostly cloudy with highs in the upper 30s. Monday will be partly sunny with a chance of rain and snow showers and highs in the upper 30s. Rain and freezing rain are again expected Monday night. Tuesday is expected to warm up to the mid 40s with rain. Snow returns to the forecast by mid-week.