Massive Pileup Closes I-81 In New York

Winter roadway conditions have struck again as a major pileup has ensnarled vehicles in Upstate New York.

New York State Police are reporting that they've closed the northbound lanes on Interstate 81 at Exit 67 in Tully to allow ambulances and other first responders reach the scene.

In a brief statement, the Tully Fire & EMS estimated between 20 and 40 vehicles are involved in the wreck. After the incident, at least 12 ambulances have been dispatched to the scene.

Meteorologist Jonathan Belles says, "This pileup was likely a result of a rapid burst in snowfall rates known as a snow squall. This system has a history of producing pileups from Indiana to Pennsylvania and now Upstate New York."

"A large low pressure system is migrating eastward through the interior Northeast and southern Canada with widespread snowfall and embedded banded snowfall that has occasionally led to whiteout conditions and gusty winds," Belles says.