Upstate NY Ice Storm

Thousands of homes and businesses in the Albany, New York area without power  
this afternoon as crews work to fix fallen power lines across the 
Capital Region.

The storm knocked down trees, shutting down roads and forcing nearly 
one-thousand schools in the area to close for the day. In eastern New York 
there was a total of 225-thousand customers without power. The National
Weather  Service continued winter and ice storm warnings Friday for a region
stretching  from the mid Hudson Valley to the southern Adirondacks.
Forecasters said parts  of the mid-Hudson Valley were coated with a half-inch
to an inch of ice.

A number of towns in the Albany area declared states of emergency, citing 
hazardous road conditions. Dozens of school throughout the region were closed 
Friday and Albany's airport canceled more than a dozen flights. Tree branches 
and traffic lights were out in suburban Albany, creating a messy commute.