A fast-moving snow squall turned I-81 into a parking lot near Tully, NY, with up to 40 vehicles entangled and a dozen ambulances racing against whiteout conditions.
Northbound Interstate 81 is now a frozen crash site. At roughly 3:30 p.m. EST, a violent snow squall descended on Exit 67 in Tully, reducing visibility to near zero and transforming the roadway into a 40-car chain-reaction wreck.
New York State Police immediately sealed the highway. Tully Fire & EMS confirms 20–40 vehicles are mangled across both lanes, forcing responders to triage patients in the travel lane itself.
Why Snow Squalls Are Highway Killers
Snow squalls are meteorological flash bangs: narrow bands of intense snowfall that drop visibility from clear to zero in under 60 seconds. Tuesday’s squall rode the leading edge of a sprawling low spinning through the interior Northeast, a system that has already triggered similar pileups from Indiana to Pennsylvania.
Meteorologist Jonathan Belles notes the squall’s signature: “Embedded banded snowfall plus gusty winds equals instant whiteout.” Asphalt temps were already below freezing, so the first flakes flash-freeze into glaze ice. Drivers enter the wall of snow at highway speed, lose visual reference, and brake on what feels like polished glass.
Response by the Numbers
- 12 ambulances dispatched within 10 minutes
- Mutual-aid crews from three counties
- Northbound I-81 closed indefinitely; traffic being detoured at Exit 67
- Southbound lanes remain open but crawling as drivers rubber-neck
Extrication teams are working in 25-mph wind-driven snow. Air temp: 19 °F, wind chill 4 °F. Every minute on scene raises hypothermia risk for victims and crews alike.
What Drivers Should Do Right Now
If your route includes I-81 north of Syracuse, reroute via US-11 or NY-281. GPS apps are still routing unaware motorists toward the closure; Waze and Google data lag roughly 18 minutes behind field reports.
Stuck in traffic behind the closure? Stay in your vehicle with the engine running intermittently—tailpipe clear of snow—to conserve fuel and maintain heat. Keep seatbelts fastened; secondary collisions are common in residual ice lanes.
The Larger Pattern: A Dangerous Week Ahead
The same low will pivot across southern Canada tonight, spinning additional snow bands back across the Thruway and I-88. Forecast models show a repeat setup Thursday afternoon. If you must travel, pack a winter survival kit: blanket, phone power bank, kitty litter for traction, and a bright LED strobe to flag rescuers.
New York State DOT has pre-positioned plow trains, but squalls outrun road treatment. Expect rolling closures until the pattern breaks Friday.
Stay locked to onlytrustedinfo.com for real-time road closures and live radar—our tech desk refreshes state feeds faster than any app, keeping you miles ahead of the storm.
