Staff Writer

ONEONTA - Anyone dreaming of a White Christmas couldn't possibly have been disappointed Wednesday.

However, the same could not be said for stranded motorists and others inconvenienced by the record holiday snowfall that hit the region.

Delaware and Otsego counties declared states of emergency and roads were closed. Travel advisories were issued in Chenango and Schoharie counties.

"I think they've kept up with the roads pretty well," said Otsego County Supervisor Carl Higgins, chairman of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, who declared the state of emergency.

"It's just that it is rough out there and we don't want people out there unless they have to be," Higgins said.

Shortly after 9 p.m., 28.8 inches of snow had fallen at Goodyear Lake, reported David Mattice, a National Weather Service observer. The previous record for Christmas snowfall had been 13.1 inches in 1978, he said.

"This is a real classic, textbook Nor'easter," he said. A Nor'easter is a low pressure system that originates in the south central plains states and develops and strengthens as it moves northeast. The winds usually travel counter clockwise around the storm center, picking up moisture from the Atlantic Ocean.

At times on Wednesday, snow fell at the rate of 4 inches an hour, Mattice said. Snow must fall at a rate of 1 inch per hour to be classified as heavy snow. Visibility was cut to about 50 feet at times, he said.

"The good side of this is that it's a relatively light snow, which is good for those who have to move it," he said.

Walton reported 24 inches at 5:50 p.m. Wednesday and Delhi had 31 inches just before 8 p.m., observers said.

Area state police reported that many vehicles went off the road or were stuck, but there were no exact figures.

"There's disabled motorists everywhere and the tow trucks going to get them have been disabled," said Sgt. Erik Dauber of the state police at Oneonta. "It's a real nightmare out there."

Yet officials did not report many personal-injury accidents. One driver reported neck pain after her vehicle rolled over on Interstate 88 in Worcester, troopers said.

In Sherburne, a vehicle crossed into the other lane because of low visibility on Route 12 and collided with another vehicle, sending three people to a hospital.

Ambulances were sent to West Winfield, where a 17-year-old woman, whose name wasn't available, was in labor. She was reported to be in stable condition at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown on Wednesday night and had not yet delivered the baby.

Some holiday travelers took refuge in area hotels.

The Holiday Inn in Oneonta had no reservations for Wednesday, said desk clerk Tim Pierce, but checked in 15 families by that night.

"Everybody was saying how bad the roads were," he said. The Super 8 Motel in Oneonta was half full, according to front desk clerk Sarah Pernord.

"We had a few reservations but basically the people we have, have all come off the interstate," she said.

Business at the Neptune Diner on state Route 23 in Oneonta was "not bad," reported the owner's son Tasi Karabinis, but the 24-hour diner closed at 4:30 p.m. because of the weather.

The snow "kept me home and I shoveled all day," said Curt Terrano, 32, who lives outside Cooperstown. Terrano said he canceled plans to visit in-laws in Cooperstown because of the weather.

"Between shoveling and plowing, I started at 3 (p.m.) and just finished up," he said, just before 9 p.m. "I got a pretty big driveway."

The forecast for Wednesday night called for moderate-to heavy snow through midnight, with an additional 2 to 4 inches possible.

The snow was to taper off to occasional light snow after midnight. There is a 50 percent chance of snow today, and skies expected to be mostly cloudy with a high around 29.