CHENANGO COUNTY– The National Weather Service in Binghamton and local emergency management officials are cautioning residents that today’s snow storm could dump over a foot of wet snow, accumulating at several inches an hour. Powerful wind gusts may also cause widespread power outages.
“Steady snow will develop this morning, with heavy snowfall anticipated this afternoon and much of tonight. Strong gusty winds will develop later today and tonight creating blizzard conditions,” reported the National Weather Service, broadcasting a warning to more than 20 central New York counties, including Chenango. “By the time the snow tapers off tonight, storm totals of 12 to 20 inches will be common.”
All Chenango County school districts are closed today. The winter storm warning will remain in effect until 7 a.m. Friday.
City of Norwich Emergency Management Director A. Wesley Jones said a number of conditions were coming together to make this weather front more of a hazard than the typical winter storm.
“This is going to be a heavy wet snow because the temperature is going to be near freezing. Warmer snow means more moisture content. This afternoon and into tonight, the intensity is really going to pick up 1 to 2 inches per hour – even a rate of 3 inches per hour is possible. My biggest concern is later on tonight and into tomorrow morning, the projected high winds coupled with the heavy snow could cause some significant power outages in our region,” said Jones.
Jones said the storm was gathering strength as it headed north along the east coast, a common pattern for winter weather. However, he said a current high pressure front hovering over Canada was holding the storm over the northeast, when typically most storms would simply move out to sea. He said the storm is going to be a “prolonged weather event” that’s going to have to “snow itself out.”
Norwich Mayor Joseph Maiurano said Thursday morning he was meeting with area officials in preparing for the storm. He said the city would only declare a state of emergency after “consultation with department heads, the National Weather Service and other officials.”
“We do ask that all cars be moved from the street to allow snow plows to move snow from the streets quickly and efficiently,” said Maiurano. “Residents and businesses are reminded they can not move snow from their sidewalks, driveways and parking lots into the highway right of way.”
“Yesterday, eastern parts of Delaware County and down into the Catskills received a foot of heavy, wet snow and they’ve had a lot of serious power outages but they didn’t have the wind to worry about like we are going to have,” Jones said.
The National Weather Service is also cautioning area residents to prepare for widespread power outages.
“Important considerations for this storm will be both the heavy wet nature of the snow and the increasing winds late this afternoon and tonight. Sustained winds should pick up to 15 to 25 mph by this evening with gust of 35 mph. The winds will not only create near blizzard conditions, but also combine with the weight of the snow to bring down trees and power lines. Power outages could become widespread,” the service announced Thursday morning.
NYSEG reported today that 3,000 residents across Delaware, Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties were already without power. The company said more than 5,400 customers in Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Washington counties and another 2,400 across Clinton, Essex, Franklin and Hamilton counties were also without power Thursday morning.
NYSEG’s Oneonta Division, which includes Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Green, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Otsego, Schoharie, and Ulster County only had a total of 500 homes without power.
NYSEG warns people to stay away from any electrical lines and to call 1-800-572-1131 to report downed power lines or other hazardous situations that may relate to the company.
Jones wanted to remind people to never run emergency generators indoors and that they should be operated only outdoors or in well-ventilated areas.