A foot of snow fell across some parts of the region Tuesday as an autumn nor'easter made October feel more like December.
The combination of high winds and heavy, wet snow downed trees and power lines, cutting off electricity for at least 14,000 customers in the 11-county region around Oneonta served by New York State Electric & Gas Corp, according to NYSEG officials.
National Grid, which serves Schoharie County and parts of eastern Otsego County, reported another 1,000 customers without power in those areas, according to its website.
The heavy snow was expected to wind down Tuesday night. The forecast for today calls for scattered snow showers with little accumulation. Temperatures will moderate to the low 50s by Friday, according to the NWS.
Delaware County issued a county-wide travel advisory, while the town of Bovina declared a state of emergency, which declared all roads closed until further notice.
Although slushy roads abounded in some areas, there were no reports of serious personal injury crashes from area law enforcement agencies.
The heaviest snowfall was limited to the highest terrain.
See SNOW on Page 9
"Our lower elevations are faring okay," said Delaware County Emergency Services Director Richard Bell at about 4:30 p.m.
The line between light snowfall and heavy snowfall was around 1,500 to 1,700 feet in elevation, Bell said.
There were reports of a foot of snow falling in the higher elevations of Otsego and Delaware counties, according to emergency officials.
Bovina was hit hard by the heavy snow and winds, with many trees and power lines down, Bell said.
In valley locations, such as Oneonta, the snow largely melted on contact with the pavement or turned to slush on the grass.
Area snowfall reports as tallied Tuesday by the NWS include:
ä Worcester, 4.5 inches at 12:05 p.m.
ä Margaretville, 12 inches at 1:59 p.m.
ä Bovina, 11.8 inches at 3:15 p.m.
ä Trout Creek, 4 inches at 10:20 a.m.
ä Treadwell, 7 inches at 11 a.m.
Several more inches of snow were forecast to fall through the afternoon into the evening Tuesday, according to the NWS.
The biggest problem from the storm was the many scattered power outages, said Otsego County Emergency Services Coordinator Lyle "Butch" Jones.
The heavy, wet snow, combined with winds gusting to 40 mph, brought trees and power lines down, especially at the higher elevations.
"Usually our first outing is just a nice little dusting. We're not used to it coming right out of the gun like this," Jones said.
An elderly woman in New Lisbon who lost power and heat during the day called for emergency assistance and was helped by a neighbor, with a follow up by the county Office of the Aging and New Lisbon Town Supervisor Robert Taylor.
"We're still without power," Taylor said at about 9:30 p.m.
About 3 inches of snow was on the ground at his house, but it was still snowing heavily, Taylor said.
Although snow is not uncommon in October, heavy snow is rare, said Delhi weather observer James Brundege.
"I was shocked," Brundege said, noting he had watched a New York City newscast Monday night that did not mention how severe the fast-moving nor'easter was going to be in the Catskills.
Brundege said he measured 4 inches of snow at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning and was expecting close to a foot by this morning. Brundege said he did not have a recent measurement when contacted Tuesday night by The Daily Star, but said the storm would probably end up ranking as one of the heaviest snowfalls on record for October in Delaware County.
Chenango County emergency officials reported scattered power outages and minor car crashes due to road conditions, which were worse in the northern part of the county.
On Tuesday night, at least one are school district, Roxbury Central School in Delaware County, announced a two-hour delayed opening for today.
