CHENANGO COUNTY – Emergency personnel across the county were kept busy on Saturday thanks to the area’s first taste of winter weather and approximately three to six inches of lake effect snow which created slippery conditions for area drivers.

A lake effect snow warning remained in effect through 7 a.m. Sunday, with winds on Saturday gusting upwards of 30 miles per hour, according to wunderground.com.

Accidents were reported across many areas of the county, including the towns of Norwich, Preston, New Berlin, Guilford, Oxford and Sherburne. The first, reported shortly before noon, occurred at 1646 County Road 10 in the Town of Preston. No injuries were reported and all those involved were treated on the scene.

A second accident, reported at approximately 1 p.m., took place at 6064 State Highway 8 in the Town of New Berlin. One patient, whose name was not released as of press time, was transported via Unadilla Valley Ambulance Corp. with unknown injuries to UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital. The New Berlin Fire Department and UVAC were again on the scene just hours later, at approximately 3:45 p.m., when a third accident was reported, this time at 1320 County Road 28 in the Town of New Berlin. Once again, one patient was transported via UVAC ambulance to UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital with unknown injuries.

Emergency personnel then responded to a string of accidents as snow continued to accumulate. Accidents were reported at 4:25 p.m., at 406 County Road 33 in the Town of Norwich; 4:35 p.m., on County Road 23 in the Town of Sherburne; 4:38 p.m., at the intersection of County Roads 35 and 36 in the Town of Guilford; 4:39 p.m., on County Road 32 in the Town of Oxford (rollover); and 5:32 p.m., at the intersection of County Roads 32 and 33 in the Town of Norwich.

No injuries were reported following those accidents and all patients were reportedly treated on the scene.

A second rollover, which took place at approximately 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Wells Road and County Road 34, also resulted in no injuries. Two additional accidents, reported at 11:20 and 11:40 p.m., occurred at the intersection of State Highway 8 and County Road 34 and the intersection of County Roads 36 and 33, respectively.

City of Norwich Emergency Management Officer A. Jones said it’s not unusual for drivers to underestimate the first significant snow of the year and warned motorists to drive carefully and pay attention to the conditions of the road, particularly during or following the first few snowfalls of the winter.