Ever-resilient Schoharie County stood the test of Stella, the fast-moving, record-setting snowstorm that raced across the Northeast leaving as much as three feet of snow behind.
The National Weather Service is calling Stella, which started shortly after midnight Tuesday, the sixth-heaviest storm ever recorded in Albany, setting a new record for the date-March 14-by four inches.
Locally, where the snow started falling shortly after midnight, weather observers measured as much as 36 inches of snow in the higher elevations.
By 10am, roads were hard to navigate; at the height of the storm, some places were seeing as much as five inches in 45 minutes, Department of Public works Commissioner Dan Crandell told supervisors Friday.
Mr. Crandell thanked DPW workers, some of whom went 36 hours without sleep.
"Everyone pulled together and did a great job," he said. "And, folks, if we hit your mailbox, I'm sorry."
Trucks burned out wiper motors and went through gallons of windshield wiper fluid, Mr. Crandell said.
On Engleville Road in the Town of Sharon, two DPW workers suffered minor injuries after a whiteout sent the truck they were driving down an embankment and into a cornfield, where it overturned.
In Summit, the Summit Rescue Squad's ambulance went off the road while answering a call.
The weight of the snow nearly spelled disaster for two dairy farms as portions of roofs came down on cows.
At the Stanton farm on Route 145, Middleburgh, half of a barn roof collapsed on about 100 cows, emergency volunteers said.
First on the scene, the Middleburgh Fire Department was able to shore up the barn using newly-purchased stabilizers and struts along with some of the Stantons' own farm equipment and Crewell's A&M heavy wrecker on the scene on standby.
Neighbors and firefighters were able to herd most of the cows to safety, but about a half-dozen were pinned under a truss and firefighters had to cut the debris to free them from their stalls.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries in the rescue, but was treated and released from the hospital.
A portion of a roof also collapsed under the weight of the snow at the Cacciola farm on Grosvenors Corners Road in Cobleskill; in Cherry Valley in Otsego County, a collapsed roof killed at least 45 cows at the Howard Youngs farm and also destroyed a machine shed.
In some parts of the state, farmers were forced to dump their milk after haulers couldn't get to them.
John Radliff, Schoharie County Farm Bureau president, said he didn't know of anyone having to dump milk here.
He also praised the highway crews for keeping the roads open.
"The people we deal with-milk haulers, the feed guys-they know how much we depend on them and they stepped up, even ahead of the storm," Mr. Radliff said. "We're all resilient and as much as we could, we were prepared."
Still, even as they plow out, Mr. Radliff said farmers are keeping an eye on what comes next.
The snow is making it difficult to handle routine chores like spreading manure, and will likely delay spring planting for some.
"And I want this snow to go slowly," he said. "We don't need flooding-especially with some of the county stream projects not done."
Mike Hartzel, county Emergency Management Offices director, echoed those thoughts.
"We're hoping it warms up slowly and the forecast looks good for that," he said. "Still, the snow is going to get heavier as that happens...it's important for people-not just farmers-to clear off their roofs if they can."
County offices closed at 1pm Tuesday and non-essential workers who'd made it in were sent home.
Nearly every local fire department and rescue squad was involved in some piece of the emergency and Supervisors' Chairman Earl Van Wormer of Esperance praised everyone who was involved
"It was nasty, nasty weather," said Mr. Crandell.