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Storm causes school delays, closings



Photo: Paul Donahue

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Dozens of schools in the Albany area delayed the start of classes and several closed because of slick driving conditions caused by the storm system that buried parts of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.

Capital Region braves frigid cold

ALBANY - The Capital Region is in the deep freeze. Temperatures are in the single digits.

A "code blue" condition has been declared by the city of Albany, meaning police and other support groups are traveling the streets looking for people who need shelter and taking them there.

Shelters in the cities are crowded.

There is a warming station open in Saratoga County at the Galway Emergency Medical Services.

Snow snarls traffic, closes schools in eastern NY

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Snowy road conditions are making for a slow morning commute in the Albany area, where some schools have called off classes or delayed their start by two hours.

The snow that began falling early Wednesday morning has made roads and highways slick, causing southbound traffic backups on the  Northway.

Several school districts in Albany, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties have canceled classes for the day or delayed opening until later Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service says much of eastern New York will get 1 to 3 inches of snow. A wind advisory has been issued for western New York until 6 p.m. Wednesday, with winds of 15 to 25 mph gusting to 50 mph.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

SnoCountry Snapshot

Halley O'Brien brings you the latest on ski conditions and events on the slopes each week in the SnoCountry Snapshot.

Watch for more reports coming soon.

Cuomo directs monitoring of Sandy, 'super storm'

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has activated the state's emergency crews to monitor Hurricane Sandy as it works its way north.
    
The "super storm" forecast for early next week is expected to include heavy rain, high winds, flooding, tornados, coastal surges and possibly snow.
    
Widespread power outages are possible.
    
Cuomo is asking New Yorkers to monitor their TVs and radios for weather alerts.
    
He's also urging people to prepare storm kits. They include non-perishable food, water, cash, filled prescriptions, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, first aid kit, flashlights and extra batteries.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
 

Severe thunderstorm warnings issued for local areas

Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for local areas in the Capital Region. Below are warnings for the areas.

Click here for First Warning Forecast

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Click here for Interactive Radar

These bulletins are currently in effect for local areas:

Massachusetts counties

BERKSHIRE

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

New York counties

ALBANY

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING until 03:30 PM EDT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

COLUMBIA

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING until 03:30 PM EDT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

FULTON

NOAA retire name Irene from list of storm names

MIAMI (AP) - Irene is being retired from the list of storm names because the 2011 hurricane killed 49 people and caused more than $15 billion in damage.
    
A report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the name will be replaced by Irma. Irene was retired Friday from the official list of Atlantic Basin tropical storm names by the World Meteorological Organization's hurricane committee.
    
The report says storm names are reused every six years unless retired for causing considerable casualties or damage. Irene is the 76th name to be retired from the Atlantic list since 1954.
    
Five people were killed in the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Irene stormed through the Caribbean last August. Three died in Haiti. And 41 died in the U.S. when Irene barreled up the Eastern Seaboard.