TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – With the approaching Nor’Easter heading toward the Hudson Valley, grocery stores were busy on Sunday with shoppers searching out the proverbial milk, bread, and eggs. At 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, there was a lull in shoppers getting their groceries, according to a staff member at the ShopRite on North Road (Route 9) in the Town of Poughkeepsie
Taking advantage of the reduced number of shoppers, grocery clerks were busy pushing out dollies of groceries from the storeroom and staging them in the aisles, so the shelves could be replenished. “We’re getting ready for the last-minute rush of people expecting to be snowed in for a week,” said one clerk. “I think it’s funny that every time there is a hint of snow coming, people rush to the store for milk, bread, and eggs. They must bake a lot while getting snowed in.”
Speaking to another clerk, the Mid-Hudson News reporter remarked on the lack of shoppers he anticipated. The clerk, who said she had been working all afternoon replied, “I’m pretty sure just about everybody in Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie was here this afternoon. Between the weekly sales and the snow that’s coming, the store was packed!”
The bread aisle still had a selection, unlike storms of the past, and the egg case was the same. The milk coolers appeared to have been popular, with empty spaces observed across the varieties of dairy products. Within about 15 minutes, the deli counter, which was void of customers a short time earlier, was now busy again with several customers seeking a variety of cold cuts and cheeses. “I came by to get my lunch meat for the week,” said shopper Mike Tinton. “I come here around this time every week and never have to wait in a line this long,” he said, adding “The snow must have everyone scared.”
As of Sunday night, the National Weather Service had issued Winter Storm Watches and one Winter Storm Warning for various parts of the region:
The watch for Northern Westchester and Rockland Counties begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday and expires on 7:o00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14th. The statement says that area can expect 4″-7″ of snow with heavy wind gusts approaching 45 mph through Tuesday morning.
The watch for Orange and Putnam Counties also begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday and lasts until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, with an increased accumulation. According to the NWS, those two counties will see 6″-10″ of heavy wet snow during the 24-hour period, with wind gusts of 40 mph.
Dutchess and Ulster Counties have an extended watch in effect. It begins at 2:00 p.m. on Monday and lasts until Wednesday, March 15th, at 8:00 a.m. The forecast calls for 8″-12″ of heavy wet snow with 40 mph gusts of wind.
Sullivan County was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. It begins at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 13th, and goes until Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. The forecast is calling for 10″-20″ of heavy, wet snow and 40 mph gusts of wind.
Western Ulster County’s watch begins at 2:00 p.m. on Monday and lasts until 8:00 on Wednesday. The NWS is predicting 10″-20″ of heavy, wet snow, with 25″ of accumulation in higher elevations, along with wind gusts of 45 mph.
