Syracuse (WSYR-TV/AP) – After watching flooding in downstate New York regions and New Jersey, residents in Upstate New York are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
Lt. Governor Robert Duffy was in Syracuse on Monday along with a number of state and local leaders to discuss the storm.
He noted that they have less to fear in Central New York in terms of flooding, but are primarily concerned about the high winds the storm should produce.
Numerous municipal offices, colleges, and dozens of school districts across the state shut down Monday, hours before the storm was expected to arrive with heavy rain and wind gusting to 65 mph.
Click here to get the full list of school and business closings in CNY.
13WHAM.com is reporting that the city of Rochester has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm.
The storm is a hybrid forming as Hurricane Sandy merges with a winter storm from the west and an arctic blast from the north. The National Weather Service predicts sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph Monday afternoon through Tuesday, and one to six inches of rain.
The wind is expected to cause more damage than usual because it's coming from the north in a region where trees are anchored against the prevailing west wind.
