Winter started early in the mid-Hudson, dumping a foot of snow in some areas, shutting down roads and leaving thousands of motorists stuck for hours in snarled traffic.The National Weather Service, which had predicted 4-8 inches through our region and a messy commute for Thursday night and Friday morning, recorded reports of 11 inches of snow in Monroe, a foot in Newburgh and Kiamesha Lake, and between 8-10 inches in Kingston and Highland.