The National Weather Service issued a weather notice for Saratoga, Albany, and Rensselaer counties at 3:35 p.m. on Friday, warning of snow showers through 4:15 p.m.
According to the meteorological service, “a snow shower was over Center Brunswick, or near Troy, moving east at 30 MPH at 3:34 p.m.”
The following locations are affected by the alert: Nassau, Delmar, Latham, Menands, Ravena, Stephentown, Green Island, Grafton, Waterford, Berlin, Castleton-On-Hudson, Loudonville, Albany, Troy, East Greenbush, Cohoes, Watervliet, Rensselaer, Colonie, and Hoosick Falls. Interstate 90 between exits 10 and 24; Interstate 87 between exits 21A and 7; and Interstate 787 between exits 1 and 9 are all included in this.
“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 snow shower, proceed with additional caution. Accidents may result from abrupt changes in visibility and perhaps slick roads.
Navigating heavy rain: Safety tips for wet roads
Roads can become dangerous when it rains. Keep yourself updated and heed these weather service recommendations to stay safe during periods of intense precipitation:
Watch out for flooding rivers:
-
Do not play in or around culverts or drainage ditches as swiftly moving water that occurs during heavy rain can sweep you away.
Keep your distances from other vehicles safe:
-
Use the two-second rule to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you and allow an extra two seconds in heavy rain.
Reduce your speed and exercise caution:
-
If it is raining and the roads are wet, slow down. Take your foot off the accelerator and let your speed drop gradually. Never use the brakes suddenly because this may cause the car to skid.
Pick your lane carefully:
-
Stay toward the middle lanes – water tends to pool in the outside lanes.
Visibility is important.
-
Turn on your headlights.
-
Be careful of other vehicles to the rear and in blind spot areas as they are especially difficult to see through rain-spattered windows.
Be cautious on slick roads:
-
Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins. Grime and oil on the road surface mix with water to make the road slippery.
Stay a safe distance away from big cars:
-
Don’t follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so quickly and safely.
Be mindful of your wipers:
-
Heavy rain can overload the wiper blades. When visibility is so limited that the edges of the road or other vehicles cannot be seen at a safe distance, it is time to pull over and wait for the rain to ease up. It is best to stop at rest areas or other protected areas. If the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, preferably past the end of a guard rail, and wait until the storm passes. Keep your headlights on and turn on emergency flashers to alert other drivers.
Taking these safety measures will significantly improve your road safety while it’s raining a lot. For a safe trip, keep yourself updated on weather conditions and follow local authorities’ instructions.
United Robots offers a service called Advance Local Weather Alerts that gathers the most recent information from the National Weather Service using machine learning.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
+ There are no comments
Add yours