Tri-State Area Hit With First Blast Of Winter Weather
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The first winter weather blast of the season left ice and even a little snow around the Tri-State area on Tuesday.
After the balmy record temperatures last week, sleet and freezing rain moved through the region overnight.
Plows were out in northern Westchester County where there was some accumulation on the ground.
"Not good," gas station attendant Javier Diaz, who was outside shoveling, told CBS2's Janelle Burrell. "Not even a lot of snow and I hate it already."
With the week off from school, Logan Tole and his family were heading into Manhattan on Metro-North at Golden's Bridge, where the slushy precipitation had changed to rain before dawn.
"Kind of disgusting," he said.
"It's a little bit too wet and mushy," said Trina Tole.
While main roads were mostly clear by rush hour, some of the secondary roads took more time.
"Very icy, very slippery," said Yorktown resident Eli Espinosa.
"A lot of people think that because the ground is warm, it's not going to stick, but you take a hot piece of meat and keep putting ice in it, it cools down," said Somers Superintendent of Highways Tom Chiaverini.
In West Nyack, some drivers said they weren't ready for the ice.
"Very unexpected, just came out of nowhere," one driver named Gene told 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck. "Very slippery, you've got to take it easy."
On Long Island's North Shore, it went from icy to slush to wet and splashy conditions.
One man named Wally said he likes the weather.
"It makes you feel alive, makes you feel good," he told WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs.
"Just don't be in a rush. Take your time," Wally added. "Give yourself some space, and better to get there late than not get there."
In New York City, it was more wet than white, but there was a snow alert citywide Tuesday morning.
The Department of Sanitation had been gearing up with tons of salt at the ready, CBS2's Scott Rapoport reporte. Preparations also included attaching plows and other measures if needed.
Further upstate, the snow, sleet and freezing rain was being blamed for dozens of accidents from central New York to the Albany area.
The National Weather Service said 1 to 4 inches had fallen from the Albany area northwest to the Mohawk Valley and north to the southern Adirondacks.
It was a similar scene in Connecticut, where State Police said troopers responded to more than 50 crashes on highways across the state.
Police said spinouts and accidents snarled the Tuesday morning commute in some places. No major injuries were reported.
Reports received by the National Weather Service said much of the state got an inch or less of snow before the storm turned to sleet, freezing rain and rain.
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