CHENANGO COUNTY – With reports of yesterday's snowfall totals in the eight to 14 inch range in the outlying areas of the county, some residents were struggling with their daily commute Friday morning. Winter Storm Hercules' large band of precipitation joining forces with a blast of arctic air made traveling especially dangerous Thursday.

The mixture of sub zero temperatures and sustained winds while the snow was falling made for a sandy, granular type of snow that is easily blown around by the frigid winds that swept through the area Thursday night. Winds only look to increase throughout the day Friday.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo went so far as to declare a state of emergency Thursday afternoon amid the speculation of the storm's severity. In addition, he shut down a portion of Interstate 87 from New York City to Albany.

The storms development in Chenango County was made unpleasant by the extremely low temperatures rather than the accumulation of snow; and at least one area resident woke Friday morning without heat and with frozen water pipes.

“I knew that it was going to be cold out this morning, but when I woke up this morning, it was unbelievably cold in the house,” said South Plymouth resident Mary Alexander. “I got up to check the thermostat and that's when I noticed that the temperature was 56 degrees and falling inside the house.”