30 Years After Storm, Utility Stronger

Thirty years ago this week, a freak storm dubbed the "snowy crippler" unexpectedly socked the Capital Region, dumping half a foot or more of wet, heavy snow on the area and knocking out power to more than 200,000 electric customers, especially those in rural areas of Rensselaer and Columbia counties. A punch no one saw coming — the National Weather Service had only been expecting a rain storm — the snow left thousands of local residents without power for a week or more, canceled school for several days and forced this newspaper to use the Troy Record's printing press to get out its combined Times Union and Knickerbocker News print editions.