ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Governor Kathy Hochul has issued a state of emergency that began at 8 p.m. Monday.

“This is one we are cautioning people that this could be deadly,” said Hochul.

The snow began falling Monday evening.

“About eight inches Western New York to Finger Lakes— which is manageable. Then it intensifies. 1 to 2 inches an hour, 3 inches an hour is a lot of snow coming down Monday night to Tuesday afternoon.”

The state is also keeping an eye on potential high winds. The governor warned everyone to prepare for this Nor’easter by stocking up on essentials such as groceries, batteries, chargers, and additional light sources.

“There will be widespread power outages in a very large geographic area,” said Hochul.

The National Guard, and even utility teams from Canada, are preparing to help. All trucking and commercial vehicles are urged to use the right lane if they must be out on the roads.

“On the Thruway as of 8 p.m. tonight, we will be banning tandems and empty trailers from Exits 17 in Newburgh to exit 36 Syracuse. In addition on the Berkshire Spur, those bans will take effect on the thruway east to the Massachusetts boarder,” explained Frank Hoare of the Thruway Authority on Monday.

The governor advised people to not shovel the snow right away to help prevent heart attacks. State employees in the Capital Region were told to work from home on Tuesday, if they can.

“This is a serious Nor’easter. It’s something to take extremely seriously and that’s what we’re doing here in the state of New York,” said Hochul.

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will also be monitoring possible rapid melting snow and flooding later in the week.

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