Be Careful! Wintry Mix Has Already Caused Dozens of Accidents

Winter weather has officially begun as the holiday rush gets underway in the Greater Utica area, and that means road conditions need to always be monitored. Utica Police are warning people to be especially careful as they are responding to dozens of accidents throughout the city.

They made the declaration on their Facebook page.

The Utica Police Department is currently handling dozens of accidents across the City, especially on Route 12. The roads are becoming extremely icy and dangerous. Please use caution when traveling, and allow yourself extra time in traveling to your destination this evening.

One resident reported being rear-ended in the area of downtown and because there were so many active accidents across the city happening at almost the same time, police are struggling to follow-up on the emergency calls.

Police in Utica say they're working to respond to the several accidents and fender-benders during the afternoon and evening commute, but because of the sudden spike in MVAs, it's stretching city street patrol thin and thus, delaying response times.

The National Weather service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory:

A wintry mix of precipitation is possible into this evening, before changing to rain tonight. Light ice accumulations will be possible, mainly across the highest elevations. Winds gusts between 30 and 40 mph are also possible at times through this evening.

Conditions are expected to continue to be hazardous throughout the region into Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to WUTR Meteorologist Craig Flint. But conditions are expected to improve on Wednesday as temperatures begin to rise into the low 40s by around 6 AM. Wednesday's highs are expected to reach the mid-40s with clouds and possible showers throughout the day. Thanksgiving Thursday is expected to be cloudy and reach a high of 45 degrees.

Central New Yorkers are no stranger to hazardous driving conditions, but during this time of year local when people might have gotten somewhat rusty when it comes to driving in snow and ice, police agencies are reminding drivers to take the extra time needed to get to their destination safely.