Early Snow Challenges Twin Tiers Drivers

Early winter weather is testing Twin Tiers residents in general with tricky driving conditions and forecast cold temperatures far below normal for early to mid-November.

The National Weather Service in Binghamton issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the region, excluding Delaware County through late morning November 12 with the anticipation of an inch of snow in the Binghamton area.

Rain changed over to snow at around 3 a.m. for Broome, Tioga and Chenango Counties and emergency services officials reported by 3:30 a.m. salt and plow trucks were making the rounds as falling temperatures were expected to cause some freezing issues on local roads, especially at higher elevations and in outlying areas.

Travelers headed north and west of the Southern Tier were being advised of much more wintry conditions.  Syracuse was under a Winter Storm Warning until mid-morning Tuesday with a chance of up to 5 inches of snow while Buffalo and Rochester started seeing snow falling in the afternoon November 11 and had been bracing for up to a foot of snow before the system was to move out of the area.

The next concern is for the very cold wind chills Tuesday night into Wednesday.  Strong winds November 12 gusting close to 30 miles per hour will make predicted lows in the low to mid teens feel like the single digits or below.

Residents are reminded to use care while starting up heating systems for the season and make sure carbon monoxide detectors are functioning properly.

Pet owners should also make provisions for their animals to make sure they have access to warm shelter.