Rochester, N.Y. – If you didn’t leave a little earlier for your morning commute Thursday, you might have been one of the many drivers stuck in traffic throughout the Rochester area.
Traffic on several major roads and highways slowed down due to Winter weather conditions, including heavy snowfall in some areas.
"I was late, 45 minutes," Suzanne Clink of Rochester said of ride to work. "I decided to come through the city thinking I wouldn't hit the traffic and I think three-quarters of the people had the same idea. It was terrible."
"It's very, very bad," said Jose Nunez of Rochester. "It's very slippery. You got to be careful when you're driving."
These delays come as temperatures in our area started in the single digits for a third day in a row. The 13WHAM Weather Authority said the winds changing overnight caused that Lake Effect Snow to sit on top of northern portions of our community longer than expected. About three inches of accumulation was observed in many Monroe County locations.
Heavy delays on Route 390 highlighted the morning commute for many. Side streets weren't much better.
"Really bad, we drove maybe about ten miles-per-hour," Torquase Cooper of Rochester said. "It was slipping a little bit, here and there."
"Really slippery you have to drive really slow and all of the snow makes it so you can't really see so you got to drive really slow," Laquita Danner-Moore of Chili added.
Deputies, troopers, and local police remained busy during that morning rush but the there were no serious crashes to report.
"There's quite a few accidents since the snow started this morning," Monroe County Sheriff's Office Deputy Joe Resch said while tending to a fender-bender. "It came on rather sudden with heavy traffic of course most of the accidents we're taking have been minor in nature."
13WHAM Meteorologists say we will find lake snow showers tapering to some flurries this afternoon with up to another inch in a few locations. Remaining cold with highs only in the mid teens at best. Road conditions will remain slick throughout the day across the region, as salt does not work as well when temperatures are below 20°.
