UPDATE 2:31 P.M. –– TCAT will resume service at 3 p.m. Friday.
Riders should check schedules for departing times and locations, as well as TCAT’s Bus Tracker.
Though conditions are better there could be sporadic delays and other weather-related problems affecting travel. TCAT asks riders for their patience and to be at their bus stops on time.
Earlier ––
ITHACA, N.Y. — As of 9 a.m. Friday, Tompkins County Area Transit has suspended service.
TCAT’s service is temporarily suspended this morning until plows can clear roads. Bus operators and transit supervisors are closely monitoring roadways and will try to resume service as soon as possible,” the transit provider said in an email this morning.
TCAT service is currently suspended for all routes as of 8:43 am! The plows cannot keep up with conditions. Buses are currently on the road and pulled over until road conditions change. Use the Transit or myStop apps to track bus locations #twithaca
— Ducson Nguyen (@duc2ndward) February 7, 2020
The City of Ithaca has also put Odd/Even Parking into effect. You can find more details about exactly what that means here.
Businesses, Meetings and Organizations:
Congregation Tikkun v’Or (Ithaca Reform Temple) has cancelled services for tonight.
Cinemopolis is closed
CFCU Community Credit Union will be closing at 3 p.m. on Friday
Tompkins Trust Company will be closing at 3 p.m. on Friday
Town of Ithaca will be closing at noon Friday.
Alternatives Federal Credit Union is closed.
Tompkins County SPCA is closed.
Loaves and Fishes will not be serving lunch
Gallery Night Ithaca is postponed until next Friday, Feb. 14, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Family Medicine Associates of Ithaca is closed
Trumansburg Family Medicine, both the Trumansburg and Ithaca locations are closed.
Museum of the Earth is closed.
Tompkins County Public Library is closed.
Clarity Eye Care is closed.
YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County is closing at 9 a.m.
Southworth LIbarary in Dryden is closed.
Schools:
Cornell University campus will close at noon.
Ithaca College is closed.
Tompkins Cortland Community College is closed.
Wells College is delayed 2-hours.
Ithaca City School District is closed.
Dryden Central Schools is closed.
Newfield Central School District is closed.
Trumansburg School District is closed.
Lansing Central School District is closed.
Namaste Montessori School is closed.
Ithaca Montessori School is closed.
Groton Central School District is closed.
Please send announcements to tips@ithacavoice.com
ITHACA, N.Y. — To quote the widely used definition from Urban Dictionary and used elsewhere, Ithacating is “A type of precipitation that is unidentifiable – it is usually a mixture of snow/hail/rain/slush coming from the dark grey sky, while it is absurdly cold outside.” Look around you, folks, because we’re in the thick of it.
However, the worst is yet to arrive – heavy, wet snow on top of rain-drenched surfaces that will ice over in the early hours of Friday morning. Difficult travel conditions are to expected Friday morning into Friday night as several inches of snow and gusty winds are expected. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect through Friday evening.
Since this morning, a little over half an inch of liquid precipitation has fallen at the airport, starting as a snow with 1-2″ in most areas, and then transitioning to a sleet, freezing rain and regular cold rain as warm air pushed further into the area as the warm sector of the incoming storm system worked its way into the Northeast.
However, things are likely to get more difficult from here as colder air returns on the backside of the low, its counterclockwise flow pulling in cooler Canadian air as it strengthens and moves from the Virginias into New England. Rain is building back into Tompkins County and will once again become steady this evening before changing over to a heavy, wet, accumulating snow later tonight into Friday morning, with brief freezing rain and sleet possible during the transition. Areas west-northwest of Ithaca will make the change over first, followed by the Ithaca area itself, and then communities to the east-southeast.
This snow will be heavy at times, up to 2″ an hour in some spots, particularly north and east of Ithaca. This will make travel difficult Friday morning. The heaviest snow is expected from 8 AM – 10 AM, though if the air is slightly colder and bands grow broader, a 7 AM – 11 AM timeframe for heavy snow is possible. Use caution and go slow if out on the roads tomorrow morning, especially in less-traveled or hilly areas where significant coatings of ice may be present under the snow.
There is significant uncertainty with the amount of snow to be expected, depending on the intensity and areal coverage of snowbands at the time of changeover. At least 6-8″ should be expected in total for most areas of Tompkins County, though some more elevated areas north and east of Ithaca may see more than a foot of snow by the time the system begins to pull away from the region Friday night.
Winds will pick up during the day Friday as the storm strengthens and its pressure deepens. These gusty winds, which will be strongest during the afternoon and evening in the 25-35 MPH range, may result in scattered power outages due to the combination of moderately strong gusts with the weight of ice coatings and fresh heavy snow on tree limbs and power lines. With several inches of fresh snow also on the ground, blowing and drifting snow will also be of concern Friday night, and may cover roads and greatly reduce visibility. So just like Friday morning, be very careful if out on the roads Friday night, because while the major snowfall might have stopped, the gusty winds and blowing snow will create their own hazards.
In short, heavy snow is to expected Friday morning, with substantial amounts of ice underneath, especially on untreated surfaces. Several inches will fall, possibly a foot in some spots, with gusty winds and blowing snow later Friday evening into Friday night. Be careful out on the roads and give yourself extra time to get to where you need to go on Friday.