Heavy Snow In Hudson Valley Snarled Afternoon, Evening Traffic

UPDATE — The season's first serious snow moved into the Hudson Valley Thursday afternoon and ruined road conditions across the region for hours.

The Ossining Police Department offered residents real-time help:

Thursday, 7:45 p.m.: Accidents on I-84 are tying up traffic during the first major snow of the season in the Hudson Valley. There is one blocked lane on I-84 westbound in the area of Exit 15 — Lime Kiln Road in East Fishkill. Another accident occurred eastbound at Exit 13 — Poughkeepsi-Peekskill (US 9). The right should of two lanes is blocked.

There is also an empty and tandem tractor trailer ban on I-84 from the Connecticut border to the Pennsylvania border. Tractor trailers with loads will be permitted on the roadway, the Department of Transportation said.

Thursday 5:20 p.m.: A couple of delays on Metro-North trains, specifically 20 minutes on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines, and "slip-slide" slow downs on the Connecticut part of the New Haven Line.

UPDATE: Bee-Line buses and Paratransit vehicles are experiencing system wide delays of 30-40 minutes. For Bee-Line schedule information, click on:www.westchestergov.com/beeline.

Thursday 5 PM: Expect significant delays on all TOR routes tonight due to the storm. Please exercise caution.

Rockland Fires says *Traffic Alert*

Palisades Interstate Parkway N/B & S/B between Exit 11 & 13. State Police reporting several vehicles into guardrails and several vehicles off the roadway and in a ditch due to the slippery road conditions. Spring Hill Ambulance en route for at least 1 injury. Drive slow & expect delays.

The meteorologists at Hudson Valley Weather said conditions are deteriorating rapidly.

Drivers are finding themselves off the road.

Hudson Valley Weather posted a 3 p.m. update on Facebook that contained a GIF of where the snow is falling and how badly. Keep in mind, it doesn't differentiate between snow and sleet.

Here is the key:

- Light Blue = evaporating before reaching ground
- Dark Blue = flurries may be reaching the ground
- Green = Steady light to moderate snow
- Dark Green = Moderate to heavy snow (up to 1"/hr)
- Yellow = Heavy snow (1" to 3" per hour)

A quick look around 511NY.org at traffic cams tells the story of where the snow is falling in the Hudson Valley as of 3:30 p.m.

Here is I-87 Interchange 6 in Yonkers:

I-95 New Rochelle toll barrier:

I-287 Interchange 5 Hillside Avenue:

And you can see from the New York Thruway camera on the Rockland side of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge that visibility is not that great.

New York State Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Paul A. Karas and New York State Thruway Authority Acting Executive Director Matthew Driscoll reminded motorists: ‘Don’t Crowd the Plow.’

When clearing roads, plow trucks travel at about 35 MPH, usually below the posted speed limit. Their reduced speed allows salt to stay in travel lanes, limiting the amount that scatters off the road. This saves taxpayer money and minimizes environmental impacts.

Plow trucks cannot stop quickly, meaning motorists should stay safe by giving the them plenty of room to work. Passing snow plows or taking U-turns in front of them can be dangerous for many reasons. A fully loaded plow truck can weigh more than 10 tons and has many blind spots. They cannot maneuver easily or stop quickly. Plowing can create a cloud of snow around the truck that causes limited visibility and whiteout conditions for passing motorists, and also creates a ridge of snow between lanes that makes passing inadvisable. Motorists should stay several car lengths behind plow trucks.

Get Patch’s daily newsletters and news alerts right in your inbox. Find and “Like” Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.

Photo caption: Westchester landing of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018. Photo credit: NYS Thruway Authority.