Orange County executive warns of black ice and cautions about shoveling 'heart attack snow'
CHESTER, N.Y. -- This weekend's winter storm left behind more than a foot of snow in some areas, and only rain in others.
But with temperatures dropping, there is the concern for black ice Sunday night and for the Monday morning commute.
CBS New York went to the parking lot of a shopping center in the Orange County town of Chester. As evidenced by how high the snow that was piled, crews did a solid job clearing the lot. But as pockets of it melt, there's that shine and that is what people on side roads are being warned to be careful of.
READ MORE: Biggest winter storm snow totals around N.Y., N.J. and Conn.
At a gas station in Goshen, plow drivers and people working Sunday night stopped in after a day of digging out.
"They're a little icy with the temperatures dropping and the foot of snow we had here," resident Anthony Pistoni said of the roads.
"The roads are still pretty snowy. I was the only car out there and it was still coming down," said Mars Murnane of Montgomery. "There was a little bit of black ice in our parking lot.
"I was slipping everywhere," added Kevin Urena of Middletown. "I had to put some salt in my driveway because it was also really icy on my driveway."
READ MORE: People of all ages enjoy the first snow of the season in northern New Jersey
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said crews worked 16-hour shifts Saturday into Sunday to salt the roads, and they'll be back at it at 5 a.m. Monday to get ahead of the morning commute.
"Give yourself a little bit extra time just in case," Neuhaus said. "We are expecting some worse storms on Tuesday, which really involves the freezing of what's already on the ground."
There was around a foot of snow on the ground in Goshen and many cars had yet to be cleared off or dug out. With the temperatures dropping, the county executive said come Monday morning that is going to be even more difficult.
"This is very heavy. This is the classic 'heart attack snow,' so either space it out and take your time or ask someone to come and help you," Neuhaus said.
He showed CBS New York preparations at the county's 911 call center. He said on a busy night the board would be lit up with colors. On Sunday, it was calm.
Patrick Boss of Monroe showed us the fruits of his labor as a plow driver, and the "icing" on the cake. He got some snowboarding in at Mountain Creek.
"It's just really nice to see it. I'm a winter baby, myself. I'm born Dec. 15, so, you know, I'm just really happy to see some snow out here. I was going to go snowboarding," Boss said. "Nothing could keep me away from the powder. Absolutely, I've been waiting for it. I was hoping we might get [snow] for Christmas. I was hoping we might get it for New Year's, but I'll take it right now."
At Thomas Bull Memorial Park in Montgomery, sledding was a serious sport, too.
"I went sledding with younger cousins and I shoveled all day and it paid off because now we can go in our driveway without slipping and falling," 13-year-old Alex Pistoni said.
It was a reminder that if you're out on the roads in the morning, give plenty of space behind salt trucks.
