NY weather: Weather alert issued for heavy snow in Rensselaer and Columbia counties Wednesday midday

At 11:32 a.m. on Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported that Rensselaer and Columbia counties would have heavy snowfall through noon.

“At 11:32 a.m., a band of heavy snow was near New Lebanon, or 7 miles northeast of Chatham moving east at 55 MPH,” according to the weather service.

In the following areas, expect significant snowfall:

• 
  Pittsfield and New Lebanon around 11:35 a.m.
  
• 
  Lenox around 11:40 a.m.
  

In cold weather conditions, things might quickly get worse. Be ready for roads covered with ice or snow. Reduce your speed and give yourself more time to get there.

“In winter weather conditions, conditions can rapidly deteriorate,” the weather service says. Be ready for roads covered with ice or snow. Reduce your speed and give yourself more time to get there. If you have to drive through or into this area of deep snow, proceed with additional caution. Accidents may result from abrupt changes in visibility and perhaps slick roads.

United Robots offers a service called Advance Local Weather Alerts that gathers the most recent information from the National Weather Service using machine learning.