State of Emergency declared in Westchester County and New York State as major winter storm continues to pummel the region

Westchester County Executive Latimer has issued a Local State of Emergency Declaration for Westchester County and Governor Cuomo has declared a State of Emergency for New York State as a major winter storm dumps several inches of snow per hour on the region.

"This storm is no joke and the main concern right now is that the expected snowfall rate of two inches per hour this afternoon creates an extremely dangerous situation on our roadways," Governor Cuomo said. "When snow is falling that quickly, it makes it very difficult for plows to keep up with it. I want New Yorkers to hear me loud and clear - stay home and off the roads. We've been through this before and we will get through it again."

The storm is expected to be a long duration event, and the mid-Hudson region may see total snow accumulations of up to two feet by tomorrow morning.

Regional cancelations and closings include:

• The last MetroNorth trains to and from Grand Central will leave at or about 3:00 PM
• All State run vaccination centers, including the County Center in White Plains are closed today and tomorrow. The State will notify about rescheduled appointments later in the week
• The Westchester County Department of Health will be closed today and tomorrow and vaccinations for both will be rescheduled for Wednesday through Friday of this week
• County offices will be closed tomorrow except for essential workers

Here in North Salem, Town Supervisor Warren Lucas said that there have been no electrical issues so far, though the town is dealing with sewer plant issues involving frozen pipes. The Highway Department will be working overtime to help keep roads clear as the storm continues to dump another foot or more of snow before it moves out of the area. "A lot of people will be staying at home and not commuting, so our Highway crew can easily handle it. My only concern is just making sure they get enough rest time," said Lucas.