It was a tough morning on Capital Region roads, and the afternoon drive home might not be any better.
The system was originally forecast to bring us only a couple inches of snow, but at one point, forecasters say the flakes were falling at a rate of 4 inches per hour. And by the time it's all over, many places could have well over a foot of snow on the ground. Add to that gusty winds as the storm moves away, and we could see considerable blowing and drifting along the roads this afternoon.
Hundreds of schools around the area were closed, and numerous events were called off as well.
Not surprisingly, there were also a number of accidents, including one involving a tractor-trailer along the Thruway in southern Albany County. Several accidents along the Northway had southbound traffic at a crawl.
State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia called off a planned visit to the Museum of Innovation and Science in Schenectady, and a joint legislative hearing on housing at the Legislative Office Building was postponed.
About two dozen arriving and departing flights at Albany International Airport were cancelled by mid-morning, and approximately 1,700 flights were impacted at New York City's three main airports.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the area through this evening. Parts of Long Island and New England remain under a Blizzard Warning.
The snow is expected to begin tapering off by early afternoon.
photo: Getty Images