What You Need to Know About Current Travel Bans

If you're planning to venture out in the Capital Region, you might want to reconsider. A massive winter storm is dumping up to 18 inches of snow across the area, and officials aren't messing around with travel restrictions.

The Big Picture

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide emergency on Friday, and the snow started falling Sunday morning. Meteorologists are calling this the biggest storm of the season so far, with heavy snowfall expected to continue through Monday afternoon. We're talking snowfall rates of up to an inch per hour—the kind of snow that makes roads disappear faster than plows can clear them.

Where You Absolutely Cannot Drive

Several counties have implemented full travel bans, meaning non-essential vehicles are prohibited from roadways:

• Columbia County: Travel ban from 12 p.m. Sunday through 11 a.m. Monday
• Ulster County: Ban started 7 a.m. Sunday, runs until 12 p.m. Monday
• Dutchess County: Travel ban currently in effect
• Saratoga County: Travel ban in place

Albany County Executive Dan McCoy declared a local state of emergency and closed county offices through Monday, with 30 large plow trucks working the roads. His message was clear: stay off the roads so crews can do their jobs.

Commercial Vehicle Restrictions

The New York State Thruway isn't playing around either. All commercial vehicles must stick to the right lane on state roads, and there's a complete ban on long combination tandem vehicles on the Thruway. If you're driving a big rig, you're either staying put or moving very carefully.

Snow Emergencies Everywhere

Even if there isn't a full travel ban in your area, snow emergencies are in effect across dozens of municipalities including Rensselaer, Rotterdam, East Greenbush, Castleton-on-Hudson, and more. This means strict parking restrictions—violators will be ticketed and towed. Most towns are using odd/even parking systems or banning street parking entirely so plows can get through.

What's Actually Happening Out There

The National Weather Service confirms heavy snow with accumulations of 12-18 inches across most of the Capital Region. Some areas could see localized amounts even higher. The Thruway is reporting snow-covered, wet pavement with heavy snow conditions across the Albany region. Translation: it's nasty out there.

The Bottom Line

Unless you're emergency personnel or providing essential services, this is a stay-home situation. CDTA is running buses on regular schedules (though expect weather delays), and state employees have been authorized to work remotely Monday.

The storm should wrap up Monday afternoon, but that doesn't mean the travel bans will lift immediately. Roads need time to be cleared, and officials will announce when it's safe to resume normal travel.

Check your local municipality's website or social media for specific parking restrictions in your area—they vary by town and change by the hour. And if you absolutely must go out, pack an emergency kit, tell someone where you're going, and drive like your grandmother is in the passenger seat holding hot coffee.

Stay safe, Capital Region. This too shall pass—probably by Tuesda