Yorktown, Somers Storm Center: What You Need to Know

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Useful Links:

• Town of Yorktown website and Facebook page
  
• Town of Somers website and Facebook page
• PHOTOS: Add your Snow Pics Here!
  

Update, Saturday

The snowstorm that pounded the area resulted in no major power outages, according to the latest information posted on NYSEG and ConEd's websites.

New York State police are urging motorists to stay off the roadways in order to allow the local, county and state highway departments clear the remaining snow from the roadways. 

Today's forecast calls for a slight chance of snow showers, according to the National Weather Service:

• A slight chance of snow showers before 1 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Blustery, with a northwest wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Tonight is mostly clear, with a low around 5. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Update, Friday, 5 p.m.

Governor Cuomo has declared a state of emergency. New York State police issued an advisory stating that travel conditions are continuing to deteriorate. There have been approximately 100 minor accidents in the lower Hudson Valley region, as well as numerous disabled vehicles.

All roadways remain open to passenger traffic although traffic is moving slow. I-84 remains closed to commercial traffic from the Pennsylvania state line to the Connecticut state line due to winter weather conditions. Although, the roadways remain open, motorists are urged to drive with caution and to avoid unnecessary travel and anticipate that interstates and parkways may be subject to immediate and unplanned closure to facilitate snow removal operations.  

Update, Friday, 2:20 p.m.

Yorktown officials are declaring a snow emergency, effective Friday starting at 3 p.m. 

A snow emergency is different from a state of emergency. It means all vehicles must have snow tires, chains or be a four-wheel drive vehicles before heading out in the snow. It also means no vehicles can be parked on the roads, said Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace, who held a storm preparedness update Friday afternoon.

Yorktown Police Chief Daniel McMahon said residents need to move their vehicles out of the road and make sure they are parked in their garages and private driveways. 

"Your cooperation is required," Grace said. 

Any vehicles that are parked on the roads could interfere with the snow removal process and they will be towed without the owners' permission, officials said.

Yorktown Highway Superintendent Eric DiBartolo said the storm should be over by noon on Saturday, but his crews would still need six or seven hours after that to make the roads passable. 

"Please be patient with us," he said. "The job will get done."

The emergency shelter at the Yorktown Community and Cultural Center is expected to open Saturday morning because of anticipated power outages, Grace said. He urged residents to call their service providers if they lose power. 

Any resident who believes his or her vehicle may have been towed can call the authorized tow company: Yorktown Autobody at 914-962-3879.

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Update, Friday 11 a.m.

New York State police issued a travel advisory:

In anticipation of significant snowfall totals and high winds the New York State Police in Troop K are expecting road closures on I-84, the Taconic State Parkway and I-684.  All vehicular traffic is advised to avoid these roadways.  Motorists should refrain from all unnecessary travel.  Extra troopers have been brought into the region to assist with these efforts.

Update, 7:05 a.m.:

Lakeland Central School District is closed Friday, Feb. 8. All afternoon and evening activities are canceled including Westchester Community College classes.

The Yorktown and Somers school districts are also closed.

Also closed are the Lakeland Children's Center, Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES, Yorktown Head Start.

Thursday, Feb. 7

There is little doubt Northern Westchester will get hit with a snowstorm Friday night. 

The National Weather Service has predicted the snow to start falling after 3 a.m. Friday. The real accumulation won't begin until later in the day, when a wintry mix of rain, snow and sleet could lead to up to three inches on the ground.

Starting after the evening commute, snow falls heavily, combined with strong wind gusts of up to 43 miles per hour could create blustery, blizzard-like conditions. There's a 100 percent chance of snow and an additional 11 inches are possible.

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'Stay off the Roads'

Yorktown town, police and school officials held a press conference on Thursday to let residents know that the town is ready for the storm and ask residents to stay off the roads. 

Yorktown Highway Superintendent Eric DiBartolo told residents that when the heavy accumulations occurs between 6 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday – with two to three inches of snow per hour – plow trucks will not be be out on the roads because of the conditions. 

If the town gets the accumulations that is predicited, the town of Yorktown will declare a snow emergency, Yorktown Police Chief Daniel McMahon said. 

What a snow emergency means is all vehicles traveling on the roads must have snow tires or chains and there will be no parking on the roads – even if it's in front of residential homes – to allow the plows to clear the roads. 

"If a snow emergency is declared, we will have tow trucks removing those vehicles from the roadway without the owners' permission to make way for the plows to get through," he said.

Once the accumulations gets to eight inches, the town of Yorktown may declare a snow emergency.

"We have to be prepared for the worst," Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace said. 

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State Police warn of probable road closings on the Taconic and elsewhere: 

In preparation for the impending snowstorm, the New York State Police in Troop “K” are advising motorists in the Hudson Valley region to refrain from all unnecessary travel on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

Historically, snow storms of this predicted magnitude have resulted in road closures and motorists becoming stranded on the highways. It is anticipated that travel conditions will deteriorate rapidly beginning in the late morning and continuing into the evening hours. Sporadic closures of sections of I-84, the Taconic State Parkway and I-684 throughout the day are anticipated. All vehicular traffic, particularly commercial motor vehicles, are advised to avoid these roadways. All vehicles abandoned on the roadway will be subject to immediate impoundment.

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NYSEG on Heightened Alert

NYSEG released a statement Thursday, saying they are on heightened alert.

“Every hour of every day, we are prepared to respond to power interruptions, but in a case like this all of our employees across the state are on heightened alert,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG and RG&E. “Our customer relations centers and operations personnel are prepared, and we are ensuring that materials are on hand to repair any damage to our electricity delivery systems.”

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Cancellations

With the impending storm a number of cancellations have already been made. 

Check out cancellations and postponements—and add more here.

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Stay tuned with Patch for updates on the snowstorm. 

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