Second Round Of Snowfall Hits Upstate Suburbs As Storm Turns Deadly
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The snow really came down in the northern suburbs on Monday.
Conditions have made driving a challenge, sending some vehicles spinning off roads, like one that CBS2's Tony Aiello saw get stuck near Goshen in Orange County.
The first storm of the season covered points north in white. Trees, including some still dropping leaves, were coated in snow and roads got messy. A black sedan was badly damaged on I-87 near the Woodbury exit.
Police in the town of Tuxedo responded to multiple accidents, including a rollover.
"It's crazy out here. A lot of 'Y'all oughta stay home if you don't have to travel,' things like that," said Anthony Keels of Middletown.
In Hamptonburgh, a 34-year-old man identified as David White died when he crashed a snowmobile into a tree. New York State Police said he was not wearing a helmet.
At the Orange County Emergency Services Center, dispatchers were busy, but the volume of calls was manageable.
"I think the schools and a lot of the businesses did the right thing by closing, kept a lot of traffic off the roads. So hopefully we can get back to normal by Tuesday," emergency services commissioner Brendan Casey said.
WEB EXTRAS: CBS New York's Winter Survival Guide | Check The Latest Forecast
For Sean Mikulski, the long duration of the storm meant he was basically running on fumes.
"Our day started yesterday about 2 o'clock and we've been going ever since. It's very heavy this storm. It started out as rain and ice. It's very heavy, hard to push around," Mikulski said.
Orange County is in New York's "snow belt," as it gets 60-percent more snow than Central Park in an average year.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga and Ulster counties. He also placed National Guard personnel on standby and activated the state's Emergency Operations Center to enhanced monitoring mode.
WATCH: Westchester County Deals With First Winter Storm Of Season --
To the south in Westchester County, the situation wasn't as bad, but roads were still treacherous in spots, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported.
The Reyes family was hard at work outside their home in Tarrytown. Local schools dismissed children early, ahead of the storm. Mendy Reyes embraced the taste of winter.
"I'm ready. I got my shovels ready, my salt, my blower for heavier snow. I'm ready to go. I got my kids and they're happy to help me, too," he said.
Westchester was expecting 2 to 4 inches of the white stuff, which wasn't sticking to roads initially but was expected to as temperatures dropped Monday night. In the interim, trucks made their rounds spreading salt and sand to prevent them from freezing over.
Conditions were worse to the west in Rockland County. A huge branch weighed down by heavy snow fell right on the hood of CBS2's news truck as it traveled on Palisades Parkway near New City. Police carried the massive branch off the highway.
Plows were busy trying to stay ahead of the storm as snow blanketed the roads. The anticipated snowfall resulted in an extended Thanksgiving break for kids in Nyack.
Vincent Cantrello, his sister, Ivy, and buddy Andre were sledding and taking advantage of the perfect type of snow for building anything.
"This is a giant snow fort, and we're making snowballs and snow grenades," Andre said.
WATCH: Snow Starts To Stick In Upstate New York, Expected To Get Worse Overnight --
New City in Rockland County is expected to continue to get more snow into Tuesday morning and could see up to eight inches.
New City resident John Francesconi wasted no time clearing up his property after several inches of snow fell.
"Depends on how deep the snow is. I gotta do my steps, the walk, the driveway, an hour and a half," he told CBS2's Valerie Castro.
Neighbor Ed Then made the most of the snow day home with his family then went outside to gear up for Tuesday.
"School was canceled so we all stayed in our pajamas, watched a couple of movies and had breakfast," he said. "Hopefully [this season is] light, I'm not a big fan of snow, so trying to get the snow off the vehicles and get ready 'cause I'm up nice and early. I'm usually in the city by six."
Classes were also canceled for student Jimmy Blumenfeld.
"I woke up early and got a text from my buddy and I was like, perfect," he said. "I went and played video games, immediately, at 6:15 in the morning."
Several schools in the area had snow days and many are anxious to see if it'll be two in a row come Tuesday morning.
