Cold Brook Road, Homer, NY (Photo: Melissa Miceli)
CORTLAND, N.Y. — Pounding snow and gusty winds tore through central New York Monday, dropping more than four feet of snow in some parts of New York State.
In that 13-hour window, consistent snowfall combined with gusty winds created hazardous driving conditions on county roads, causing dozens of reported accidents in Cortland County, including a crash on Interstate 81 involving a commercial bus full of high school students commuting from the Rochester area.
A school bus overturned on Interstate 81 in Marathon Monday morning, causing minor injuries to 10 students. (Photo: Marathon Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps)
It snowed for 51 consecutive hours in Cortland, beginning 8 a.m. Sunday and lasting through 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to weather.com digital meteorologist Brian Donegan.
"It's the biggest lake effect storm I've ever seen," said Donegan, who is based in Cortland.
The National Weather Service recorded 14 inches in Cortland as of 12 a.m. Tuesday, though snowfall continued through Tuesday morning. Donegan measured 19 inches of snow in his backyard in Cortland.
The highest recorded snowfall total in New York State was 54.5 inches in the town of Redfield, in Oswego County.
