Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Thousands Still Without Power in Upstate New York After Snow Storm


Oct. 28: A snow plow clears a highway in Westerlo, N.Y.


ALBANY, N.Y. — Nearly 40,000 utility customers remain without power in eastern New York a day after more than a foot of snow fell on some areas.

National Grid has about 25,000 customers without power Wednesday morning, most in the Mohawk Valley and Adirondacks.

New York State Electric & Gas reports about 13,300 outages, most in the Catskills. Power is expected to be restored to most customers on Wednesday.

The storm dumped wet, heavy snow on trees still covered in leaves, bringing limbs down on power lines.

The National Weather Service reports snowfall totals ranging from 13 inches in northern New York to 15 inches along the northwestern edge of the Catskill Mountains.

Lower elevations were soaked by heavy rain, with areas around Albany recording about 2 inches of rain on Tuesday.

The first wintry storm of the season snarled parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as New York Tuesday as snow and high winds disrupted schools, roads and power lines throughout the region.

The weather closed some schools New York and Pennsylvania and caused numerous accidents on Interstate 84, which was closed for a time near Port Jervis, where the three state borders meet.