City of Albany road crews began preparing for snow long before the flakes started to fall. 

Crews were out Monday morning, hours before the snow started, to begin prep work.

More trucks were deployed throughout the day. City officials believe the snow will fall steady enough for crews to keep up, but more traveled areas are going to be the priority.

What You Need To Know

  • City says crews have been out throughout Monday preparing for winter weather

  • Residents are asked to not travel

  • Crews are prioritizing areas like New Scotland Avenue, which has two hospitals

"New Scotland has two hospitals in it," says Sergio Panunzio, the city's DGS commissioner. "That road has to be maintained constantly, 24/7. There are no excuses."

The storm is the first major snowfall since December. Residents in a number of local municipalities expressed frustration with cleanup efforts.

Panunzio says the city is in a much better place this time, with less people on leave because of COVID-19 quarantines.

"We have less than one percent absenteeism due to COVID," Panunzio said. "A lot of the people that were out last time are coming back after quarantining, and we're satisfied that we will do a great job."

Roads are expected to be slippery, especially if temperatures dip below 20 degrees, which is when ice melt and salt cease working.