Storm Blog

Picture by staff photographer Stu Bayer.

Here’s a picture from this morning’s tour bus crash, which is still tying up traffic on I-684 in Southeast. We’re awaiting an update from police on the incident, but photographer Frank Beccera Jr. offers this caption: “Brewster and Croton Falls firefighters assist passengers off a bus following an accident on northbound Interstate 684 in Southeast March 16, 2007. The accident happened when two of four buses following each other crashed into each other after hitting a passenger car. There were only minor injuries and traffic northbound was backed up for miles. The uninjured passengers on the damaged bus were transfered to another bus.”

White Plains reporter Rich Liebson reports:

Ella Lansky didn’t seem to mind the pelting sleet and raw wind as she slid down the hill behind White Plains High School on a plastic garbage bag with her parents, Bart and Jenny Lansky.

Resplendent in a purple snow suit and wool hat, Ella laughed as her dad ran back up the hill, carrying her on his shoulders.

“Let’s do it a again,” the four-year-old shouted.

“It hasn’t really snowed much this year,” Bart said, explaining why the family decided to brave the elements. “We wanted her to get a chance to do a little sledding.’’

Well, sliding, anyway.

“We were going to buy a sled, but it never snowed, so we didn’t bother,” Jenny said. “So now we’re improvising. It’s working fine though – she’s having a blast.”

The National Weather Service has a nifty staccato way of writing its weather reports. Here’s what they predicted, as of 12:23 p.m. today, for this part of the state:

A WINTRY MIX OF SLEET…SNOW AND SOME LOCALIZED FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE WHOLE AREA THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM THE LOWER 20S IN THE FAR NORTHWEST SUBURBS TO AROUND 30 ACROSS EASTERN LONG ISLAND. SNOW AND SLEET TOTALS HAVE REACHED ANYWHERE FROM A COATING TO THREE INCHES. ROADWAYS…ESPECIALLY UNTREATED ONES…WILL BE VERY SLIPPERY THIS AFTERNOON.

Here’s the official “Winter Storm Warning” for the area, updated at 12:56 p.m.:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
…SIGNIFICANT SNOW AND SLEET POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT… LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTH CAROLINA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL MOVE OFF THE VIRGINIA COAST THIS EVENING…THEN PASS JUST EAST OF MONTAUK POINT EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE PRECIPITATION IS PRIMARILY SNOW INLAND AND A MIXTURE OF SNOW…SLEET AND FREEZING
RAIN ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND. AS THE LOW APPROACHES…PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME HEAVY TONIGHT…BUT WARMER AIR WILL ALSO WORK IN ALOFT…CHANGING THE PRECIPITATION TO PRIMARILY SNOW AND SLEET OVER INLAND SECTIONS…AND A MIX OF SLEET…FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN CLOSER TO THE COAST. UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW AND SLEET COULD ACCUMULATE WELL NORTH AND WEST OF NEW YORK CITY…WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES IN AND AROUND NEW YORK CITY…AND LESSER AMOUNTS FARTHER EAST ACROSS LONG ISLAND AND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT…

Specifically in northern Westchester, Rockland and Putnam:

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM EDT SATURDAY. A MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. THE SNOW WILL MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SLEET TONIGHT. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL RANGE FROM 8 TO 12 INCHES…WITH SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN ORANGE COUNTY…BEFORE ACCUMULATING SNOW ENDS SATURDAY MORNING. A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW… SLEET…AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/NYC FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND UPDATES.

In southern Westchester and New York City:

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM EDT SATURDAY. A MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. THIS SNOW WILL LIKELY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES BEFORE THE ACCUMULATING SNOW ENDS LATER TONIGHT. UP TO A HALF INCH OF ICE ACCRETION FROM FREEZING RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE…MAKING DRIVING AND WALKING CONDITIONS QUITE HAZARDOUS. A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW… SLEET…AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/NYC FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND UPDATES.

A plane that skidded off a taxiway at Westchester’s airport this morning has been towed away, and “flights have resumed.”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070316/UPDATE/703160449

From Putnam County reporter Susan Elan:

Harold Gary, Putnam’s Commissioner of Highways and Facilities, said between 40 to 50 staff have reported to work. All of the county’s 22 trucks are geared up for sanding, salting and snow removal, he said.

There have been reports of only minor accidents so far, Gary said. But he anticipates conditions will get worse in the late afternoon and early evening and urged motorists to stay off the roads.

“We’re going to be hit with a pretty good storm later in the day,” Gary said. “We’re keeping the roads as safe as possible but people should refrain from traveling later.”

Putnam County Executive Robert Bondi said shortly after 2 p.m. that he knew of no serious incidents in Putnam so far and does not anticipate opening any of the county’s emergency shelters.

Arthur Fleetwood, right, and Willie Winfrey of the Nyack Public Works department clear sidewalks in Nyack. (Pic by Vincent DiSalvio / The Journal News)

Yonkers Raceway has canceled its simulcast today and harness racing card for tonight due to the snowstorm.
The raceway is planning to run its card tomorrow night at 7:40 as scheduled.

Westchester County has announced that an indoor farmer’s market scheduled for tomorrow at the Westchester County Center will open at 11 a.m., two hours later than originally scheduled, because of the forecast for stormy weather. The market will close at 5 p.m. The county executive’s visit to the market has also been rescheduled, to 1:30 p.m.

The roads must be getting slippery, because the police scanner here in the newsroom has been crackling with accident reports. Earlier today, a tour bus “crashed on I-684 in Southeast”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070316/UPDATE/703160463, with minor injuries reported. What are you seeing out on the roads?