Roadside Assistance in Rochester, NY: Getting Through a Lake-Effect Winter

Most Rochester winter breakdowns are one of three things: a battery that died overnight in the cold, a car stuck in a snowbank on an unsalted side street, or a flat on an icy expressway. A jump start, a winch-out or a spare change often fixes it where you sit. On the Thruway, only its own garages may help. If anyone is hurt or you are stuck in a live lane, call 911 first.

Why does Rochester winter strand so many cars?

Lake Ontario does it. Cold air crosses the open lake, picks up moisture and drops it on shore. The National Weather Service says lake-effect bands can dump 2 to 3 inches of snow an hour or more. The bands are narrow. It can pour snow in Greece while Henrietta stays sunny a mile or two away.

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Rochester airport show what that adds up to:

Winter fact	Rochester airport normal
Snow in a full season	About 99.5 inches
January snow	About 28 inches
January low and high	About 18°F and 32°F
Days that stay below freezing	About 46 a year
Nights at 10°F or colder	About 19 a year

The snow season is long, too. November averages about 7 inches, and March still brings about 16. So plan for trouble from Thanksgiving to spring break.

My car won't start on a frozen morning. Is it the battery?

Often, yes. Listen when you turn the key. Fast clicking, or a slow, tired crank, points to a weak battery. Dash lights that dim when you try to start say the same thing.

Cold is hard on batteries. Rochester averages about 19 nights a year at 10°F or below. A battery that was fine in October can quit the first week of January. Your car sat all night on a Swillburg street, and now it won't turn over.

A jump start gets most of these cars running. Then drive it for a while so the battery can charge back up. If it dies again the next morning, get it tested at a shop while it still starts.

No sound at all, or a grinding noise, may be something else. In that case, tell us what you hear. It may need a tow to a mechanic instead.

I slid into a snowbank. Do I need a tow or a winch-out?

Usually a winch-out. The city plows residential streets once about 3 inches of new snow falls. It salts main roads and some streets with schools, bus routes, bridges and hills. The city says it generally does not salt residential streets.

That gap is where cars get stuck. You turn off a clear main road onto a packed side street in Maplewood or Browncroft. The back end slides, and now one wheel is buried in the plow ridge.

Try this first

• Clear snow from in front of and behind each tire with a shovel.
• Put sand or cat litter under the drive wheels. New York's emergency office lists both in its winter car kit.
• Straighten the wheel. Ease on the gas. Don't spin the tires hard.
• Stop after a few tries. Spinning digs you deeper and heats up the tires.

Still stuck? A winch-out pulls a car that is in a ditch or snowbank near the road back onto solid ground. If it won't drive after that, a tow takes it to a shop.

What if my car dies on the wrong side of the street on a plowing day?

Act fast. When the city calls a Plowing Day Parking Restriction, alternate side rules apply on residential streets. The posted pattern is the even-numbered side only until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Odd-numbered side on Sunday, and until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. During a Snow Emergency, no one may park on Snow Emergency Routes.

A dead car does not get a pass. Police say a car left illegally parked during these rules for more than 48 hours may be treated as abandoned. So call before the side switch, not after.

The city announces each plan through the media. Check the winter parking page when the forecast turns white.

What should I do if I'm stuck on I-490 or the Inner Loop?

First, get out of the lane if the car still rolls. A shoulder beats a lane, and an exit ramp beats a shoulder. Then turn on your hazards and keep your belt on.

Give a clear location

• West of the river: I-490 is the Western Gateway from Mount Read Boulevard to the Genesee. Name the last exit you passed.
• Downtown: I-490 meets the Inner Loop at exit 13. Say if you are on the bridge over the river, or past it.
• East side: the Can of Worms at exit 21 is where I-490, I-590 and NY 590 meet. Say which road you came from.
• Inner Loop east: that part is now a surface street with lights, not an expressway. Give the cross street.

Let the plows by

In a storm, plows share these roads with you. New York DOT says a loaded plow weighs more than 10 tons and has many blind spots. It tells drivers to stay up to eight car lengths behind one. If you are stopped on a shoulder, stay buckled in while they pass.

New York's move over law helps here. Drivers must take care around a car stopped on the shoulder of an expressway or parkway. They must move out of the lane next to it when they safely can.

Who helps me on the Thruway near Rochester?

The Thruway has its own rules. Only authorized Thruway garages may change tires, boost batteries or bring fuel on the Thruway itself. Off-Thruway garages handle the tows. The Thruway says to call 911 for emergencies, stay with your car and never walk along the road.

So if your car quits between exits 45, 46 and 47, follow the Thruway's rules. Once you can roll down a ramp into Victor, Henrietta or Le Roy, normal roadside help can reach you.

How do I stay warm while I wait?

New York's emergency office gives clear advice for drivers stranded in snow:

• Stay in the car. Don't walk for help unless you can see it within 100 feet.
• Hang a bright cloth on the antenna, turn on your hazards and use the dome light at night.
• Run the engine now and then for heat, not the whole time.
• Keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow. A blocked pipe can fill the car with carbon monoxide.
• Crack a window on the side away from the wind.

The city also says to keep your gas tank at least half full all winter. Carry a scraper, a shovel, a flashlight, blankets and jumper cables. A full tank keeps the heater going if you sit for a while.

How does Sentinel work?

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network. We don't own trucks. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. We text your price before anyone is sent, and that price is locked. Then we check on you by text until help arrives. That's the Stay-With-You Promise. You get your driver's name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map.

Your price depends on the job: your vehicle, what went wrong and where the car is stuck. A car buried deep in a snowbank is a different job than a simple jump. We cover cars, SUVs, minivans and light pickups across the city and towns. See our Rochester towing page for the areas we serve.

What should I have ready when I call?

• The road, your direction and the last exit or nearest cross street.
• What happened: clicking, no sound, a slide, a flat or an empty tank.
• Make, model and color, so your driver spots you in the snow.
• Whether your spare is there and holds air, for a flat tire change.
• Where the car should go if it needs a tow.

Check 511NY for closures before you head out in a storm.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

Rochester Winter Roadside Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: NOAA normals, Rochester airport, National Weather Service lake-effect snow, City of Rochester winter safety, City of Rochester winter parking rules, Rochester Police towing policy, NYS Thruway roadside assistance, NYS DHSES winter driving, NYSDOT safe winter driving, NY VTL 1144-a.