Recapping the blizzard of ‘22: It’s a lot of snow

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - As we woke up Monday following a weekend blizzard, emergency crews and tow trucks were busy fishing cars and trucks out of the snow.

Between St. Lawrence County and Jefferson County, lose to 200 cars went off the roads, got stuck, and had to stay there. People had to leave their vehicles behind, and many were taken to warming centers, where they stayed the night.

Jeff Cole reported live from Watertown’s Public Square early Monday. He pointed out a snow pile as high as a nearby bank sign, showing the results of the several-day blizzard.

The storm started Friday. In video from Thompson Park in Watertown that morning rain changed quickly to snow and winds picked up, beginning the blizzard of ‘22.

Winds of 50 mph — or more — crashed into lakeshore communities and ones along the St. Lawrence River. And the temperatures plummeted, letting mother nature create unique ice sculptures.

The snow smacked the Watertown area into Friday night. Saturday morning it moved north. Winds knocked out power in Cape Vincent, Wellesley Island and Grindstone Island.

Driving north on Interstate 81 was in whiteout conditions. It eventually got shut down. Stuck truck drivers at the Price Chopper near the Thousand Island Bridge. They were unable to cross because of the gusty winds.

It was windy near Copenhagen, too, with scary driving conditions. Even snowplows had a tough time navigating the roads. In St. Lawrence County, people were rescued from their stranded cars by UTVs.

When is the last time we’ve heard of hundreds of cars being stranded and people needing to be rescued? Many will tell you it was the blizzard of ‘77. So, during the blizzard of ‘22, both Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties declared states of emergency and put up travel bans.

Between Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, snow drifts in the roads were 4, 6, or 8 feet. More than 200 cars were off roads and people had to be rescued and taken to warming centers.

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