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| Repair crews try to restore power in Hinesburg, Vermont, via Twitter, Lynn Monty @vermontsongbird |
The precipitation was unwelcome, given the struggles Vermont is experiencing with power failures, fallen trees and slippery roads.
The storm has found a few ways to be even worse and more disruptive than expected.
The new wave of precipitation started as sleet and freezing rain, but has pretty much changed to wet snow in Vermont and in parts of western New Hampshire. The entire episode has stayed snow in New York State.
The new surge of snow has snarled evening commute traffic BIG time in western Vermont, especially in and near Burlington. There are numerous reports of stuck cars and very, very long delays with people stuck in traffic. People just can't make it up icy hills, it seems.
Police scanners in the Burlington, Vermont area are saying traffic is stuck most everywhere. Local bus service is shut down for the evening, and some main thoroughfares are closed.
I am SO glad I didn't have to drive this afternoon in Vermont.
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| A Vermont State Trooper suffered some injuries when cars crashed into him on Interstate 91 near Windsor, Vermont. via Twitter, @mikereformer. |
I'm also hearing of flight delays at the Burlington, Vermont airport due to low visibility and snow.
At this time yesterday, I really didn't think things would be this bad right now. But they are.
Meanwhile, the initial batch of heavier precipitation in New England from last night made its way westward today across most of New York into the Rochester and Syracuse area, and on close to Buffalo.
Interstate 81 near Syracuse was shut down by heavy snow and crashes. At least 10,500 homes and businesses had no power in New York State due to the heavy, wet snow, mostly near the Albany Capitol District.
In Vermont, anywhere between 15,000 and 22,000 homes and businesses had no electricity today. That number held steady in that range through the day.
Power crews got electricity flowing again to some areas that had outages, but the renewed snow and ice created new power failures in other areas of the state.
As of 5 p.m. about 19,000 homes and businesses had no power in Vermont, according to Vermont Outage Map. That's actually down a little bit from earlier in the afternoon, despite the renewed wet snow that is falling.
Things have gotten bad enough that an emergency shelter has opened in Middlebury, Vermont.
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| Killington, Vermont late this afternoon. |
The bad weather had settled down in far southern Vermont earlier today, but this next batch of precipitation from the east also curled southward into southern Vermont and western Massachusetts this afternoon and evening.
That prompted the National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y. to issue new winter storm warnings for Bennington and eastern Windham counties in Vermont for several inches of new, heavy wet snow tonight.
Winter storm warnings remain in effect for the western two thirds of Vermont, and in eastern New York until 11 p.m. tonight, and in central New York, especially in areas near Syracuse, until 7 a.m. Thursday.
Snowfall totals have been pretty impressive in some areas.
Out in central and western New York, storm reports include 20 inches in Jamesville, 19.8 in Erieville, and 18 inches in the communities of Deruyter and Pompey.
West of Albany, NY, reports include 15.5 inches in Delanson, N.Y., 15 inches in Middleburgh and 14 inches in Prattville.
In Vermont, totals include 14.5 in Willliamstown, 14 inches in Eden and Killington and 13.7 inches in Greensboro.
I'm still insisting this will all wind down late tonight or before dawn tomorrow. Expect more snow showers, maybe mixed with rain in the valleys across northern New England and New York tomorrow through Saturday.
It won't amount to much, except in some mountainous locations, which could pick up a few more inches.
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