First Snowstorm Sees Double Digit Crashes in Saratoga County

Residents were advised to stay indoors when the first major snowstorm of the 2025-26 winter season hit the capital region this week. 

The storm started around 7 a.m. on Dec. 2, with heavy snow reported across the county. Within 24 hours, several inches of snow had fallen with one report in Clifton Park seeing 10.6 inches of snow by 11:30 that night, according to the National Weather Service. The highest total for Saratoga Springs was 7.1 inches, reported on the morning of Dec. 3. 

While the snowfall total was well above the 0.3 inches usually seen on Dec. 2 historically, it falls well short of the 11.2 inches seen during a snowstorm in 2019 and far below the single day record seen on Dec. 17, 2020 when 32 inches of snow fell in Saratoga Springs. 

During the storm, New York State Police responded to 49 accidents and disabled vehicles in Saratoga County, the majority of which occurred on the I-87 according to a New York State Police Blotter. Conditions on the interstate got so bad that at 1 p.m., State Police asked drivers to avoid driving on the highway due to accidents between the Twin Bridges at the Saratoga-Albany County line and exit 16 in the town of Wilton. 

The snow also prompted the Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works to declare a snow emergency in order to clean up from the storm. The emergency went into effect at 8:00 p.m. Dec. 2 and ended Dec. 4 at 8:00 p.m.

During the emergency, residents were required to move their vehicles to a cleared or plowed parking space every 12 hours or risk being towed or ticketed. 

“I want to applaud the DPW workforce for their efforts today in keeping the roadways safe, and I am declaring this snow emergency to help with the snow removal efforts in the coming days,” said Marshall. “Please be courteous and conscientious of the DPW team while they work through the night and day to cleanup from this storm.”

It wasn’t all bad news. Due to the snow, school districts including Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa and Schuylerville closed and declared a snow day for the students and teachers.