I just returned home from the station on Smith Hill. The hill was incredibly slippery and even with four-wheel drive and anti-lock breaks, I was slipping and sliding all over the place.
I then got onto the Utica-Rome Expressway. It seemed to be in decent condition relative to other roads. Traffic was moving fairly normal with maybe a slight overall decrease in speed.
The side roads in many suburban neighborhoods are what seemed to be the biggest problem.
Evidently in winter situations like these, use extreme caution while travelling.
Stay with NEWSChannel 2 for the latest information on the air at 5:00, 6:00, 10:00 & 11:00 and on www.wktv.com.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Late Nite Travel...Slick!
Took me a minute to get set here.
I drove through Utica and the streets are a mess. It's not dreadful yet because ice has not formed. And actually, the powder gives you a miniscule more amount of traction than ice. But you gotta go slow. Deerfield was a lot of fresh powder, but Utica had more packed snow. Still, messy in both situations. Be careful.
I just got a text message from Adam Musyt. He says Route 49 is a bit messy between Utica and Rome as well, so even the main roads are slick. About 2" in the left lane with packed snow in the right lane.
The NY Winter Travel Advisory: http://www2.travelinfony.com/wta/main.asp is suggesting that 8,12, and 20 are also messy in Oneida County.
Please use caution tonight.
I drove through Utica and the streets are a mess. It's not dreadful yet because ice has not formed. And actually, the powder gives you a miniscule more amount of traction than ice. But you gotta go slow. Deerfield was a lot of fresh powder, but Utica had more packed snow. Still, messy in both situations. Be careful.
I just got a text message from Adam Musyt. He says Route 49 is a bit messy between Utica and Rome as well, so even the main roads are slick. About 2" in the left lane with packed snow in the right lane.
The NY Winter Travel Advisory: http://www2.travelinfony.com/wta/main.asp is suggesting that 8,12, and 20 are also messy in Oneida County.
Please use caution tonight.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Travel
It was so cold this morning that ice formed inside my car's windshield, thankfully my car decided to start. I didn't experience many problems with traffic on my way to Smith Hill Road, but tomorrow will be a different story.
We are expecting nearly as much as two feet of snow in Utica and I guarantee that tomorrow's commute will leave plenty to blog about.
We are expecting nearly as much as two feet of snow in Utica and I guarantee that tomorrow's commute will leave plenty to blog about.
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Drive
Thanks to clear roads I faced no problems en route to Smith Hill this morning, but I expect that to change mid-week when we could be in for more snow.
How was your drive to work?
How was your drive to work?
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Things Witnessed On The Way To Work:
-Two speeding cars, in an apparent mutual act of road rage, weaving in front of one another on a snowy two-lane highway. Nice. I had my digital camera ready to take the pictures of both anticipating the moment when they each ended up in a ditch. Alas, they stayed on all four wheels.
-Another car looked like it had its back end blown-out after skidding across a road and into a guardrail. Thankfully, it appeared the driver was okay.
-A line of six cars following a snowplow at 35mph, opting instead to drive on the newly cleared path rather than risk either of the above two scenarios.
-Another car looked like it had its back end blown-out after skidding across a road and into a guardrail. Thankfully, it appeared the driver was okay.
-A line of six cars following a snowplow at 35mph, opting instead to drive on the newly cleared path rather than risk either of the above two scenarios.
Never a dull moment driving in Lake Effect Snow
Today's drive was almost as tough as the one on Monday.
Traffic was moving pretty well through Oriskany Boulevard towards 790, but getting cut off by another car nearly caused an accident.
Traffic volume on 790 was relatively low.
The only real trouble spot in my commute this morning came as I drove up Smith Hill Road.
A sand truck was driving down the hill as I came up and thankfully put the blade of the plow up just before we crossed paths.
Traffic was moving pretty well through Oriskany Boulevard towards 790, but getting cut off by another car nearly caused an accident.
Traffic volume on 790 was relatively low.
The only real trouble spot in my commute this morning came as I drove up Smith Hill Road.
A sand truck was driving down the hill as I came up and thankfully put the blade of the plow up just before we crossed paths.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Better Drive Today
My car refused to defrost this morning. Ice coated both the exterior and interior of my windows this morning, although the drive from Oriskany Boulevard to Deerfield was smooth.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Evening Road Conditions
Around 5:00, I had to make a trip from Whitesboro to New Hartford and back again. All of the main roads seemed very clear where you could sustain the posted speed limit. It seemed, although, that many of the side, rural roads were not clear. Some were very slippery, full of slush, resulting in my anti-lock breaks kicking in.
I'm assuming this is still a big improvement compared to this morning. When all the school districts in Oneida County close, you know it is truly not safe to be out.
I also spoke with someone on their way to Amsterdam around mid-afternoon. They said everything that direction is very clear, including the Thruway.
Make sure to check out our YOU WITNESS NEWS Sections:
- Viewer Submissions Photo Gallery: http://www.wktv.com/news/5564601.html
- Meterologist Matt Lanza's Boonville Trip: http://www.wktv.com/news/5587466.html
Not an easy drive
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
It was an adventure getting out of my own driveway this morning but I managed to get out eventually.
The roads in New York Mills were fairly well plowed as were the ones on Oriskany Boulevard.
Traffic on Oriskany was moving at a good pace, although there was lighter volume than what I'm used to seeing between 7:30 and 8:00am.
My biggest problem today came when I tried to merge onto 790W and while driving slowly I still slid quite a bit.
Only one lane of 790W was clear and thanks to light traffic I felt fairly safe until I tried to merge onto North Genesee and entered a slick and slushy off-ramp.
Smith Hill Road was not too bad. I assumed that I was going to get stuck at some point, but front wheel drive helped me through the rough spots.
It was an adventure getting out of my own driveway this morning but I managed to get out eventually.
The roads in New York Mills were fairly well plowed as were the ones on Oriskany Boulevard.
Traffic on Oriskany was moving at a good pace, although there was lighter volume than what I'm used to seeing between 7:30 and 8:00am.
My biggest problem today came when I tried to merge onto 790W and while driving slowly I still slid quite a bit.
Only one lane of 790W was clear and thanks to light traffic I felt fairly safe until I tried to merge onto North Genesee and entered a slick and slushy off-ramp.
Smith Hill Road was not too bad. I assumed that I was going to get stuck at some point, but front wheel drive helped me through the rough spots.
My Version of Smith Hill
Right off the top I have to comment on the frigid temperatures. The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was start the car. I'm thinking a good half hour of warming up might not be enough. Luckily that did the trick.. nice and toasty on my AM commute.
Anyway on the way into work I ended up seeing Andrea Bullard (we live in the same neighborhood.) Actually, I look for Andrea every morning on my way in. We travel the same route to work so the chances of us bumping into each other are pretty high. It's kind of become a little game for me... odd I agree.
First thought once I hit the road... "I wonder what Smith Hill is like?" Honestly that's my first thought every morning on my way in, especially in the winter. If you've never made the trek up, you must check it out, if only to understand where I am coming from. Just to give perspective, I used to live in West Winfield. That's a 30 minute commute to work. It was always smooth sailing --until that HILL!
Moving on-- all is well on my way in. I stop at a local gas station in North Utica to grab a beverage( Mountain Dew)... then it's up the hill. I catch up with Andrea(she's a very cautious driver, hence slow). Fortunately she understands you need speed to make it up the hill. Unfortunately, deer crossing the road don't care. Andrea slams on her brakes, as do I. There's no collision. I was a safe distance from her car. Now I'm thinking.. "Here we go, I'm going to end up backing my car down this hill." Luckily that doesn't happen. We make up just fine. The town of Deerfield was out early, keeping up with Mother Nature.
A fine start to a chilly day!
Anyway on the way into work I ended up seeing Andrea Bullard (we live in the same neighborhood.) Actually, I look for Andrea every morning on my way in. We travel the same route to work so the chances of us bumping into each other are pretty high. It's kind of become a little game for me... odd I agree.
First thought once I hit the road... "I wonder what Smith Hill is like?" Honestly that's my first thought every morning on my way in, especially in the winter. If you've never made the trek up, you must check it out, if only to understand where I am coming from. Just to give perspective, I used to live in West Winfield. That's a 30 minute commute to work. It was always smooth sailing --until that HILL!
Moving on-- all is well on my way in. I stop at a local gas station in North Utica to grab a beverage( Mountain Dew)... then it's up the hill. I catch up with Andrea(she's a very cautious driver, hence slow). Fortunately she understands you need speed to make it up the hill. Unfortunately, deer crossing the road don't care. Andrea slams on her brakes, as do I. There's no collision. I was a safe distance from her car. Now I'm thinking.. "Here we go, I'm going to end up backing my car down this hill." Luckily that doesn't happen. We make up just fine. The town of Deerfield was out early, keeping up with Mother Nature.
A fine start to a chilly day!
The Good Morning Drive
Good Morning!
It's coming up on 4am here and Don and I are just reading over scripts.
Oddly enough we followed each other into work this morning. The roads in the city of Utica were fairly clear but not clear enough to drive the speed limit. All was well until Don and I got to the notorious Smith Hill (dun dun dunnnn). The trick to getting up the hill in less than perfect conditions is to get enough speed before you being the climb. That was going to be the plan for the two of us until...two deer jumped out in front of me. I slammed on my breaks (I've hit a few deer in my day and know what they can do). It was right then and there that the morning caravan came to a halt. I felt bad that not only did I kill the momentum for me, but for Don as well. So back and forth we went until we got to the top. Which brings us to where we are now.
It's coming up on 4am here and Don and I are just reading over scripts.
Oddly enough we followed each other into work this morning. The roads in the city of Utica were fairly clear but not clear enough to drive the speed limit. All was well until Don and I got to the notorious Smith Hill (dun dun dunnnn). The trick to getting up the hill in less than perfect conditions is to get enough speed before you being the climb. That was going to be the plan for the two of us until...two deer jumped out in front of me. I slammed on my breaks (I've hit a few deer in my day and know what they can do). It was right then and there that the morning caravan came to a halt. I felt bad that not only did I kill the momentum for me, but for Don as well. So back and forth we went until we got to the top. Which brings us to where we are now.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Rte 12 South: Nasty!
We just got back from Boonville about 20 minutes ago. Route 12 south from there is just nasty the whole way. It's not the worst it's ever been by any means, but use extreme caution. There's a reason for all these travel advisories to be in effect.
Driving Treacherous
While the roads are slick through most parts of Sauquoit, New Hartford and Utica, Route 12 South towards Waterville is very tough to drive. Not necessarily because of slippery conditions. It's more blowing snow than anything else. I urge all drivers to use extreme caution if you have to drive anywhere at all tonight.
In Boonville and Turin
Myself, Adam Musyt, Kristen Copeland and our photographer Tommy Geise are up in Boonville for the 5 PM show. We just got back from Turin and Snow Ridge. Here's the deal. It's sunny here. But the blowing snow is crazy. There are ground blizzard conditions at times, mainly around open fields. Driving can be an adventure at times. Route 12 was snowcovered entirely from Utica to Boonville. The roads weren't in bad shape north of Boonville though (12 D and 26). But when you pass fields, it's challenging. Of course, they haven't been dealing with too much snow either. On top of that, the air temperatures range from 0-5 above. Thankfully, we should see the wind die down and the blowing snow become a non-issue. We measured depths of about 20-25" in Turin...a lot of that due to compaction. We'll have more for you at 5.
North Utica Conditions Between 1:30 and 2:00 pm
1:30 pm: I just took a trip down Genesee Street in North Utica. The blowing and drifting snow is causing low visibility in the area. The big problem seemed to be in the area around the Thruway exit. At times you can't see the bridges over Genesee Street until you are almost on top of them.
Heading up Smith Hill in Deerfield was also an experience. At around 1:50 pm a tractor trailer was stopped in the road and a Deerfield DPW truck was in front of it. The DPW was trying to drop enough sand on the road so the tractor trailer could get enough traction to get up the hill.
We have a number of crews out in Central New York including NEWSChannel 2 Meteorologist Matt Lanza who will be blogging from the road in Northern Oneida County. Check back for his updates.
Let us know about the conditions in your area by selecting the comment option at the bottom of this message.
Heading up Smith Hill in Deerfield was also an experience. At around 1:50 pm a tractor trailer was stopped in the road and a Deerfield DPW truck was in front of it. The DPW was trying to drop enough sand on the road so the tractor trailer could get enough traction to get up the hill.
We have a number of crews out in Central New York including NEWSChannel 2 Meteorologist Matt Lanza who will be blogging from the road in Northern Oneida County. Check back for his updates.
Let us know about the conditions in your area by selecting the comment option at the bottom of this message.
Ground Blizzard!
It's almost a ground blizzard out there at times. I travelled in today on the Thruway...between Utica and Herkimer it's periodic whiteout with flurries. The blowing snow is insane at times. As a weather nut, I'm looking forward to travelling up north toward the heart of this thing. We'll keep you posted when we know more!
Conditions in Utica
Heading down the hill this morning on my way to the Arcuri news conference the roads were fine, but it sure was cold out.
After the conference my photographer and I were off to the train station for some video. Now the flakes were beginning to fly. After getting enough video and spending just enough time inside to warm the body up, we were headed back outside. Our windshield was covered in snow. The flakes went from just dancing across the sky to running all over the place. The trek up the hill was also getting slippery. Good thing we had a four wheel drive car ( I don't even want to think about my trip home in a non four wheel drive car.)
As I sit here at my desk working on a story for 6pm news, I can no longer see my car out the only window in the newsroom. Looks like the wind is picking up and the news team is ordering in for lunch.
After the conference my photographer and I were off to the train station for some video. Now the flakes were beginning to fly. After getting enough video and spending just enough time inside to warm the body up, we were headed back outside. Our windshield was covered in snow. The flakes went from just dancing across the sky to running all over the place. The trek up the hill was also getting slippery. Good thing we had a four wheel drive car ( I don't even want to think about my trip home in a non four wheel drive car.)
As I sit here at my desk working on a story for 6pm news, I can no longer see my car out the only window in the newsroom. Looks like the wind is picking up and the news team is ordering in for lunch.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: Oneida County
The Oneida County Sheriff's Department is advising no unnecessary travel this afternoon due to the weather conditions. Several minor accidents have already been reported.
Check back throughout the day for more updates and reports from NEWSChannel 2 reporters. Also, let us know how the travel in your area is by selecting the comment option below.
Check back throughout the day for more updates and reports from NEWSChannel 2 reporters. Also, let us know how the travel in your area is by selecting the comment option below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)