All Over Albany

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

It should look like this.

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel.

And shortly after that, Albany will no doubt engage in another round of its annual discussion about the fact that some sidewalks don't get shoveled.

It's an important quality of life issue for everyone in the walkable city, and it's even more important for people who have some sort of disability that makes it hard to get around. (Also: Shoveling is the neighborly thing to do.)

At the start of last winter the city of Albany tightened its rules so that the Department of General Services can now issue violations for unshoveled sidewalks directly after the 24-hour grace period following a snowfall. Ahead of that change we looked at violations the city had issued in previous winters to get a sense of where violations were being handed out, and to what sorts of properties.

Now we've had a whole winter with the new, stricter rules. So, was there a blizzard of violations issued?

Let's have a look.

(Yes, there are graphs and clickable maps, because of course there are.)

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The probability of a white Christmas

This is a NRCC graph of white Christmas probabilities for Northeast cities. We've modified it highlight Albany. (Here's a larger version.)

Weather nerding (holiday edition): On average, Albany has snow on the ground for every third Christmas.

That's from a Northeast Regional Climate Center analysis of records for the past 50 years. It looked at a bunch of cities around the nation and the Northeast to see how many Christmases in each place had at least one inch snow on the ground. In Albany case's it was 34 percent of the time.

As you might expect, some of the Upstate cities to the west have much higher probabilities. Syracuse is 2/3 (surprised it wasn't higher), Buffalo is 6/10, and Watertown is 8/10.

Last year Albany got 5.5 inches of snow on Christmas.

Earlier
+ Here's when the seasons really start and end in the Albany area*
+ Albany winters have been getting warmer

Hikes and hot chocolates

We're very happy to congratulate Cristin on the publication of her new book Upstate Almanac: Outdoor Adventure in Upstate NY, which is now available as a paperback and ebook. To celebrate, we're sharing an adapted excerpt about some fun winter hikes.

If you think of hiking as a three-season sport, you're missing out. Hiking, snowshoeing, and getting outside in winter more generally, can improve your mood in the dark, dreary months of the year.

And one of the best parts of spending time outdoors in the winter chill is coming back inside and warming up with a hot chocolate.

With that in mind, here are some fun, easier winter hikes along with where to get hot chocolate nearby.

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The Swinburne Skating Rink is open for the winter

The city of Albany's Swinburne Skating Rink is now open for the winter season.

The rink is in Swinburne Park (surprise) and it's covered, so it can operate in all weather. It's open for ice skating Monday-Sunday (see the schedule below), and it also offers learn-to-skate, stick-and-puck, and hockey sessions.

Admission is $1 / 50 for under 18 / 25 cents for seniors. Skate rental is $3. Skate sharpening is $5. And the rink is available to rent for parties.

If you haven't been to the rink before, it's located just to the west of Bleecker Stadium. And if you're looking for a place park, there's a lot off 2nd Street. (That street runs one-way west, so the the closest cross to head up that block is Ontario.)

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Where to buy firewood?

Wade asks:

I'm looking for a reliable source of high quality seasoned firewood. Does anybody have a firewood guy they would recommend? Delivery preferred but not necessary. Price per face cord? Thanks for you input, Folks!

Have to admit: We know next to nothing about buying firewood. So we're curious if people have not just a place in mind about where to buy firewood, but also maybe some thoughts or tips about what to look for.

So, got a suggestion for Wade? Please share! And a sentence or two about why you're recommending a place can be helpful.

The skating rink at the ESP is open for the season

It's true: The ice skating rink at the Empire State Plaza is now open for the season.

The rink -- located near The Egg on the Capitol end of the plaza -- opened late Friday afternoon, and there were a bunch of people taking a few spins. There's free skate rental through this whole opening weekend.

The operating schedule is seven days a week (weather permitting) from noon-8 pm, closed daily from 3:30-4:30 pm for maintenance.

Skate rental is $4 for adults / $3 for kids 12 and under. A photo ID is required to rent skates. And this season free skate rental day is Saturday (it's been Friday in the past).

There's no fee to skate.

The rink also hosts a series of free learn-to-skate clinics. They usually fill up fast, so register for a spot early if you're interested.

One of favorite times to skate is mid week in the evenings, when the crowds tend to be smaller. Heading over to skate for a half hour or so and then going for dinner someplace downtown makes for a better-than-average Tuesday or Wednesday.

AOA is a sponsor of the ESP ice skating rink.

Capital Hills in the winter

We stopped by Capital Hills in Albany to walk for a few minutes today.

The city's municipal golf course is closed for golf for the season -- which means it's now open for walking, dogs, sledding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and other winter outdoor fun.

The course is a beautiful tract of hilly acres alongside the Normans Kill on the city's southwest edge. And it's fun to explore the various trails during the winter months. Be sure sometime to check out the old course that sits in the center of the front nine -- it's so serene after a blanket of snow.

Capital Hills is a dog wonderland during the winter, where they can trot around off leash and play with other dogs. It's a wonderful amenity, but please be responsible about it. That means making sure your pup will be polite with other dogs and people. And, yep, you've gotta pick the up the poop.

See also: It's winter. Your dog has pooped. What now?

The skating rink on the ESP opens for the season at the end of this month

The ice skating rink on the Empire State Plaza is scheduled to open November 30, the state Office of General Services announced today.

Opening day will start that Friday at 4:30 pm and run until 8 pm. There will be free skate rental throughout the weekend. And opening day will include live music. All that, of course, is weather permitting.

The ESP ice rink will then be open seven days a week (weather permitting). And this season's hours will be noon-8 pm, closed daily from 3:30-4:30 pm for maintenance.

Skate rental is $4 for adults / $3 for kids 12 and under. A photo ID is required to rent skates. And this season free skate rental day is Saturday (it's been Friday in the past).

There's no fee to skate.

The rink also hosts a series of learn-to-skate clinics. The first one is December 1. They usually fill up fast, so register for a spot if you're interested.

Tree lighting
By the way: The annual tree lighting / holiday festival activities on/near the ESP are December 2 this year.

It's looking like it could be a relatively warm winter. Probably.

The map represents three ranges of outcomes: cooler than normal (blue), normal (white), and warmer than normal (orange). / image: NOAA

The federal government's Climate Prediction Center released its outlook for the upcoming winter in the United States today and it's pointing to a relatively warmer winter in this part of the country. Overview blurbage:

A mild winter could be in store for much of the United States this winter according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. In the U.S. Winter Outlook for December through February, above-average temperatures are most likely across the northern and western U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.

Additionally, El Nino has a 70 to 75 percent chance of developing. "We expect El Nino to be in place in late fall to early winter," said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. "Although a weak El Nino is expected, it may still influence the winter season by bringing wetter conditions across the southern United States, and warmer, drier conditions to parts of the North."

The outlook pegs Upstate in the "equal chance" category for a drier or wetter winter.

Here's a quick video that walks through the outlook and includes an explanation for the prediction maps.

Noted: "[T]he outlook does not project seasonal snowfall accumulations. Snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance. Even during a warmer-than-average winter, periods of cold temperatures and snowfall are still likely to occur." As you well know, all it takes is for a few Nor'easters to track toward the coast and we can end up with feet of snow.

Last winter
The Climate Prediction Center outlook for the previous winter pegged the odds being in favor of a warmer than normal winter for this part of the country. And that's how it ended up: The average temperature for the last meteorological winter -- December, January, February -- was 1.3 degrees warmer than the normal (31.4 degrees).

By the way: Four of the warmest winters on record for Albany -- that is, since 1820 -- have occurred since 2000. And 2015-16 is the warmest on record.

Here's how much it snowed in various places all around New York State this winter

There's a clickable map, too. (Because of course there is.)

May starts this week, so that probably means we're finished with snow for the season. Though April apparently decided to get a few more flakes in before exiting.

So to bid a final farewell to this past winter, here's a clickable map of snow totals from around New York State for the season. Some of them are bonkers.

By the way: Wednesday and Thursday this week both have forecasted highs in the 80s.

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Albany's got a new system for tracking its snow plows -- also answers to some common questions and complaints

It snows here. Sometimes it snows a lot. And often when it snows a lot, people have questions about how the city of Albany clears all that snow.

On Wednesday the city unveiled a new GPS system that it's using to track snow plows in real time. The hope is that the system will allow the city to more quickly understand where there are problem spots and figure out faster ways of plowing streets.

So we took the opportunity Wednesday morning to get a peek at the system -- and ask city officials some questions we frequently get from people about when, where, and how the city plows snow...

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It's fat biking season

I think I may have gotten a few strange looks in my apartment complex a few weeks ago while strapping my bike onto my car rack. In the middle of winter. After a few inches of snow had fallen.

But to me, this is the perfect time to ride my fat bike!

With huge, knobby tires that are typically four inches wide, fat bikes have been gaining popularity for their versatility. You can ride them like mountain bikes, conquering many obstacles -- even if it's snowy.

Whether you are a mountain biker looking to ride through the winter or an outdoor enthusiast wanting to try something new, consider fat biking! You won't be able to wipe the smile off your face.

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Capital Region ice skating spots

Let's hope we can pond ice this nice this winter.

Winter is more fun when you can be active. And one of the most fun ways to be active during winter is ice skating.

So... you might be interested in the listing/map that AOA has of ice skating spots around the Capital Region. We ran the zamboni over it this week, so it's surface is smooth and updated with a few new spots and details.

The listing includes indoor ice rinks, outdoor rinks that get some maintenance, and a few pond spots. The ice is almost always going to be smoother at the maintained facilities, but we gotta say there's something magical about skating on a frozen pond.

As always, if there's a spot that you think should be included, please let us know! Have fun!

More simple joys of a snowy day

We get actual winter in this part of the world. It's cold. It snows. (Sometimes it snow a lot.) And this time of year can feel like we're stuck in the deep freeze.

It's at these moments we like to remind ourselves of the simple joys of winter, those little things that are maybe underrated about the season.

And Wednesday morning, with the fluffy blanket of new snow, seemed like a good time to list a few more...

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A few things for making it through winter

After a few years of odd behavior, winter has apparently found itself and has returned to its old personality. Cold. Snowy. A little bracing at times, if also not just a little bit abrasive.

Maybe you're feeling a little out of practice. Or maybe you're new here and thinking this can't go on for another 2-3 months (it very much can).

So here a few things for getting through the winter...

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Capital Hills is open for winter, by the way

From the file for "things everyone knows that maybe everyone doesn't know"...

The Albany city municipal golf course -- Capital Hills (map) -- is open for all sorts of winter activities, as it is each year between golf seasons. That means lots of people walking dogs off leash and, when there's snow, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and sledding.

The course, on hilly acres alongside the Normans Kill, is a beautiful section of land. Don't miss the loop through the old course, which is especially beautiful after a blanket of snow.

To that end, there are new snowshoe and cross country ski trail markers. (At least, they were new to us -- we don't recall seeing them before this season.) And look for the trail map on the building that faces parking lot. (Here's a pic.)

One more thing
Capital Hills is a dog wonderland during the winter. It's one of Otto's favorite places because he can trot around off leash and meet all sorts of other dogs. (He'd stay there all day if we let him.) But here's the thing... please be responsible about it. That means making sure your pup will be polite with dogs and people. And, yep, you've gotta pick the up the poop.

See also: It's winter. Your dog has pooped. What now?

A good snow removal service in Albany?

Laura emails with a timely question:

Would you be willing to ask your readers to recommend a reliable, reasonably-priced residential snow removal service in Albany? Thank you.

We've had a similar question in the past, but things change. Businesses close, businesses open.

So, got a suggestion for Laura? Please share! And sentence or two about why you're recommending a service can be helpful.

Albany's new snow shovel rule is in effect + assistance info for people who have trouble shoveling

December arrived on Friday, and so too did the new tighter rules for shoveling sidewalks in Albany.

We've already gone through this in detail, so we won't rehash it. But the basics are:

+ A property owner has 24 hours to clear the full width of the sidewalk.

+ The city can now fine a property owner for not clearing the walk directly after the 24-hour period. (The old rule required a notice first, and then another 24 hours before a fine.) Fines start at $100. And the city can also charge for the cost of labor to clear the sidewalk, an amount no less than $75.

The city's violation system has been largely complaint driven in the past. If there's a problem property in your neighborhood, you can report it to the Department of General Services by calling 518-434-2489 or filing a ticket on Albany's SeeClickFix.

With the start of the new rules, the city of Albany also released info for people who might have trouble physically clearing their sidewalk. From a press release (link added):

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The ESP ice rink is open for the season

The ice skating rink on the Empire State Plaza opened for the season Friday.

The rink is open seven days a week, 11 am-8 pm (closed 3-4 pm for maintenance) -- weather permitting. It's free to skate. And skate rentals are $4 / $3 for kids / free on Fridays. A photo ID is required for skate rental.

As in previous years, there are also a series of clinics and special events connected to the rink over the next few months, such as learn-to-skate clinics and try-hockey clinics for various levels. Registration is required for the clinics and they often fill up fast. (The learn-to-skate clinics this Saturday, December are already full.)

The rink often gets busy on weekends. Our favorite time to go is in the evenings during the week. As we've said before, stopping by to skate for an hour after work + dinner someplace downtown = a better than usual Wednesday.

Swinburne Skating Rink
Friday also was opening day for skating rink in Albany's Swinburne Park (map).

Here are the hours and admission/skate rental info...

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Here's every violation issued by the city of Albany over the last three winters for not shoveling a sidewalk

That's how it should be done.

Albany got an early start on its annual discussion of the topic of snowy sidewalks -- shoveled and unshoveled -- this fall when the Common Council approved a tightening of the city's grace period for how long property owners have to clear walks before there's a fine.

There were a lot of claims and speculation thrown around about who would be affected by the change. And while we can't see into the future, we can flip through the past.

So that's just what we did.

We looked at every violation the city of Albany issued over the past three winters for not clearing a snowy sidewalk, and uncovered a few things.

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The Empire State Plaza ice skating rink is opening soon for the 2017-2018 season

Winter is happening: The ice skating rink at the Empire State Plaza is set to open December 1 (weather permitting), the state Office of General Services announced today.

As in recent years, the rink will be open seven days a week from 11 am to 8 pm (closed 3-4 pm for maintenance). And it's free to skate. Skate rental is $4 for adults / $3 for kids 12 and under / and free on Fridays. (A photo ID is required for skate rental.)

There are also a series of free learn-to-skate and hockey clinics -- that link includes the schedule. Keep an eye out for when registration opens because they fill up fast.

Tree lighting
The annual ESP tree lighting is December 3 this year. There's a whole day of events leading up to the lighting at 5:15 pm and fireworks at 5:30.

Also: There's rock-and-skate event with Moriah Formica that evening from 6-8 pm.

AOA is a sponsor of the ESP skating rink.

A proposal to tighten the grace period in Albany for clearing snowy sidewalks

Update: The Common Council passed the proposal October 2. [TU]
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Despite the recent run of warm weather, winter will eventually arrive here. And when it does, it will snow. And when it snows, some people will not shovel their sidewalks.

In the city of Albany, property owners have 24 hours after a snowfall to clear their sidewalks. But because of the way the law is written, the actual grace period is more like two days (or even longer) -- and that's even if there's a complaint.

So now the Albany Common Council is considering a change that would allow the city to crack down on the unshoveled in a shorter period of time.

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On uncleared streets and expecting better

Late Wednesday afternoon -- Willett Street is in there somewhere.

A lot of the post-blizzard talk Wednesday in Albany was about snow plowing -- in some cases, the lack of snow plowing. While the city's main streets were (remarkably) clear by Wednesday, many of the neighborhood side streets were decidedly not.

Here are some thoughts about how the city -- and all us -- might do better next time.

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Icy, Snowy Apocalypse Watch

Update Tuesday morning: The National Weather Service has upgraded the situation to a blizzard warning through Wednesday morning. Snow totals are now predicted to be in the 18-24 inch range. "Extremely dangerous travel conditions due to snow covered roads, white-out conditions along with blowing and drifting snow."
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Winter's decided to kick it old school.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for this region starting at Monday night and continuing until Wednesday evening as a big Nor'easter makes its way up the coast. The paraphrased forecast:

Monday night: Snow starts late, mostly after midnight. Maybe an inch. Lows in the mid 20s.

Tuesday: Lots of snow, heavy at times -- maybe 1-3 inches per hour at times. Highs in the mid 20s.

Tuesday night: More snow, windy. Lows around 16.

Wednesday: Snow continues, windy. Upper 20s.

Wednesday night: Chance of snow declining. Lows in the 10s.

As mentioned up top, this is a coastal storm and, as you know, the track of these storms can be hard to predict and the path can make a big difference in how much snow we get. But the NWS Albany forecast discussion indicates the models are starting to converge on a path that will bring us some serious snow totals.

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Yep, another weird winter

Super short explanation: The blue shaded areas represent what you might consider the normal range -- high and low -- for temperature and snowfall in a winter. (Here's a longer explanation from earlier.) If a winter is outside both shaded blue areas, it's probably fair to say it was weird. Don't squint -- there's a larger version.

Some quick follow-up to ongoing winter climate weirdness...

Meteorological winter ended with February, and it was the 10th warmest on record for Albany with average temperature of 31.4 degrees -- 5.8 degrees warmer than the normal. (Glens Falls logged its warmest on record.) [NWS Albany]

And February itself was odd: It was the third warmest on record for Albany with an average temperature of 33.3 degrees-- 7.4 degrees warmer than the normal.

The almost two feet of snow we got during February did put us something closer to the normal -- we're now about 6 inches behind the typical amount.

With the new numbers, we've updated our Albany winters cold and snowy (or not) weirdness graph. It's above, with the 2016-2017 marked in orange. It was another weird winter for temperature. And, if we don't end up getting any more snow this season, it will be an almost-weird winter for snow.

Which is all becoming very usual.

Earlier on AOA: The warmest winter day