Nearly back-to-back weather systems in the last few days marked the return of typical Northeastern winter and its hallmarks: delays, closings, cancellations, snow emergencies and treacherous driving conditions.
By early Monday, more than a foot of snow had fallen across upstate New York, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire.
Schools throughout New York and New England delayed or canceled classes. Snow emergencies have been and are being declared in several municipalities, including Albany, where one becomes effective at 8 p.m. Mayor Kathy Sheehan: "Typically we declare a snow emergency when we have 8 inches or more and this storm was just under that, but because it was piled on top of the previous storm we know that we have areas of the city where we need to get the snow cleared out and go in with our front-loaders and clear that snow out, push snow back. So, starting at 8 o'clock tonight people will be parking on the even side of the street. You can go to AlbanyNY.gov and get all of the details about the snow emergency, you can also go to our Facebook page and get information. We'll be getting it out through Nixle and to all of the different universities in the area, trying to ensure that people know that we have a snow emergency in place and again that'll be effective at 8 p.m."
Sheehan says once the primary focus of getting city streets clear for travelers is achieved, crews will tackle snowbanks impeding pedestrian traffic, remove snow from cut-outs in city streets that have islands, and clear other obstacles presented by the storm. "The way that the storm played out yesterday, it really didn't provide us with an opportunity to do anything other than plow. It was really falling at that sort of one inch per hour rate for a good part of the day, and then we had a little bit of a lull and then it started up again, so that kept our crews busy. What we do now is go back and ensure that we are plowing the rights-of-way, taking down those snowbanks. That's one of the things we do when we do a snow emergency is that — and it's one of the things that we take into consideration is, we look to see, 'cause as we push snow, obviously, it piles up when we get this much snow, so we go in and we take those snowbanks down to the extent that we can in neighborhoods throughout the city."
- There's a list of safe places for Albany residents to park at the bottom of this article.
Winter storm warnings have been rescinded across Massachusetts, but some bands of snow may linger. East of Worcester County high wind warnings are up until 7 p.m. with coastal areas such as Cape Cod and Nantucket expecting gusts as high as 65 mph. Governor Charlie Baker pushed back the start of the workday for state workers to 11 a.m.
National Weather Service meteorologist Kimberly McMahon says residents of the Bay State can expect lingering snow but not much more in the way of accumulations. "There's going to continue to be some gusty winds out there. That should be dying down towards the afternoon and evening. As far as upcoming weather, it looks like Massachusetts will have a nice break in precipitation all day Tuesday and not expect any precipitation until possibly Wednesday. There may be some windy conditions that arrive with that system on Wednesday for Massachusetts, and especially the cape."
McMahon says stormy conditions will rule for the rest of the day farther up the coast — especially Maine, with heavy snow, gusty winds and a blizzard warning in effect. "Portions of Vermont and northern New York and New Hampshire, snow will be tapering off, but as is usually the case behind these systems, the western slopes of the higher terrain of the Green Mountains in the Adirondacks and even the Whites will be seeing some snow, as they have the air push over the mountains and create what we call 'upslopes.' Those areas look like they could see anywhere from three to five inches, especially in the Green Mountains today, tapering off tonight, but come Tuesday afternoon, there's gonna be another clipper low that will bring more snow to the area, Tuesday night into Wednesday, for the most part."
The National Weather Service's winter storm warning for much of upstate New York to Maine extends into Monday evening for some areas. Meteorologists say wind gusts are expected to top out at 50 mph in eastern New York.
In the City of Albany, beginning at 8:00 P.M. Tuesday, February 14, 2017, all vehicles must be parked on the odd numbered side of the street for the next 24-hour period.
If you are parked on the wrong side of the street during the snow emergency your car will be ticketed and may be towed.
After the second 24-hour period, please stay tuned for further announcements. For SNOW EMERGENCY information, call 518-476-SNOW or visit the City of Albany's website at www.albanyny.gov, www.facebook.com/CityofAlbanyMayorsOffice, and www.twitter.com/AlbanyCityHall (see other information sources below).
If your vehicle has been towed, call the City of Albany Police Department Traffic Safety Division at 518-438-4000 for information on how to retrieve your vehicle.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS & INFORMATION DURING THE SNOW EMERGENCY:
- Please review the City of Albany’s Snow & Ice Removal FAQ’s as well as the “When it Snows in Albany” brochure for more information during Snow Emergencies (Snow emergency brochures, which outline all of the Snow Emergency procedures, can be picked up at any City firehouse, police station or branches of the Albany Public Library)
- The Snow Emergency Hotline is 518-476-SNOW (7669); for general snow inquiries call the Department of General Services at 518-434-CITY(2489)
- To report power outages and determine area repair schedules, call National Grid at 800-642-4272; in an emergency, call 911
- If you would like to receive a text or email about a snow emergency, you can sign up for Nixle alerts at http://www.albanyny.org/Government/Departments/PoliceDepartment/Nixle.aspx
- For real-time weather information, visit the National Weather Service
During the snow emergency the City of Albany has made available additional parking at the following locations:
ARBOR HILL/SHERIDAN HOLLOW
1. PARKING AREA ADJOINING ARBOR HILL SOFTBALL FIELD (NORTH LARK ST.)
2. 230 COLONIE ST. (PLAYGROUND LOT)
3. 178 COLONIE ST. (PLAYGROUND LOT)
4. TEN BROECK MANSION (PARKING LOT & SIDEWALK WEST END)
PINE HILLS
1. RIDGEFIELD PARK (ENTER ON PARTRIDGE ST.)
2. WOODLAWN PARK LITTLE LEAGUE
3. WATERSON PARK (WESTLAND HILLS) ENTER ON COLVIN AVE.
4. WASHINGTON PARK (ALL ROADWAYS AND PARKING AREAS)
SOUTH END
1. KRANK PARK AREA
2. FRANKLIN ST. (BETWEEN SCHUYLER & BASSETT STS. – EAST SIDE)
3. LINCOLN PARK (ALL INTERIOR ROADWAYS & PARKING AREA)
CENTER SQUARE/MANSION
1. 77 PHILIP ST. (PLAYGROUND)
2. 88 PHILIP ST. (PLAYGROUND)
NORTH ALBANY
1. NORTH SECOND & NORTH THIRD STS. (ABOVE PEARL ST.)
2. PARKING AREA ACROSS FROM NORTH ALBANY AMERICAN LEGION POST
WEST END
1. BLEECKER STADIUM (PARKING AREA & ROADWAYS)
2. NORTH SIDE OF LIVINGSTON AVE. (OPPOSITE JUDSON ST.) PARKING LOT
Vehicle operators and residents on the following streets should look for “Emergency No Parking” signs posted by the Albany Police Department to determine which side of the street to park on:
1. Central Avenue (Lark Street to Henry Johnson Blvd)
2. Pine Street (Eagle Street to Lodge Street)
3. Columbia Street (Eagle Street to Lodge Street)
4. Elk Street (Eagle Street to N. Hawk Street)
5. Willett Street (Madison Avenue to State Street)
6. Jay Street (Turn Around to Hudson Avenue)
7. Robin Street (Madison Avenue to Myrtle Ave)
8. Thurlow Terrace (Western Avenue to Dead End)
9. Englewood Place (Western Avenue to Dead End)
10. Sprague Place (Western Avenue to State Street)
11. Bleeker Place (Phillip Street to Eagle Street)
12. Lark Street (Madison Avenue to Myrtle Avenue)
13. Leonard Place (Delaware Avenue to Dead End)
14. Madison Place (Eagle Street to Philip Street)
15. Wilbur Street (Philip Street to Grand Street)
16. Park Avenue (Dove Street to S. Swan Street)
17. Manning Square (Manning Blvd to Central Avenue)
18. Manning Blvd (Bridal Path, Western Avenue to Washington Avenue)
19. Niblock Court (Ver Plank Street to Dead End)
20. Essex Street (Watervliet Avenue to Rawson Street)
21. N. Main Avenue (Washington Avenue to Manning Blvd)
22. O'Leary Blvd (Western Avenue to Washington Avenue)
23. Northern Blvd (Colonie Street to Manning Blvd)
24. Manning Blvd (Livingston Avenue to Arbor Drive)
25. McPherson Terrace (#15 to Judson Street)
26. Hall Place (Ten Broeck Place to Second Street)
27. St Joseph Terrace (Second Street to First Street)
28. N Second Street (Broadway to Jennings Drive)
29. N. Third Street (Broadway to Dead End)
30. Helderberg Avenue (Main Avenue to Weiss Road)
31. Kate Street (Whitehall Road to Cuyler Avenue)
