Described by at least one weather observer as a “blockbuster,” the storm that began Wednesday evening and went on relentlessly until about noon Thursday dropped 35 inches in Saratoga Springs, almost 31 inches in Schenectady — even 37 inches in the Schoharie County town of Summit.

It forced most flights at the Albany County International Airport to be delayed or canceled. The streets were filled with a symphony of snowblowers and revving plows. Photo moments? Plenty, along with the sense of relief that Christmas will most likely be white.

But there was also danger: A snowmobiler riding along I-787 at 2:30 a.m. Thursday was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer. Police had not provided details by Thursday night. A 12-year-old girl who was playing in the snow in Knox was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital after a relative plowing snow inadvertently buried her. National Weather Service officials said they heard a report of a barn roof collapse at a Washington County farm.

The storm challenged fleets of snowplow operators to clear an extraordinary amount of snow from roads and highways, prompted state and local governments to declare states of emergency and created memories by which many future storms are sure to be judged.

Raquel Steres digs her car out Thursday in Albany. Steres said that she had to use her car alarm to find which snow mound was her car before she started digging. (Albany Times Union — Paul Buckowski)

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan declared a state of emergency at 7 a.m. Sheehan urged residents to stay off the roads, saying that the “rapid increase in snowfall over the last few several hours has made travel especially difficult.” Sheehan also declared a snow emergency that will take effect at 8 a.m. Friday. Parts of the city had 25 inches of snow.

Snow emergency measures are taken to help highway crews clear snow from clogged streets and require residents to move vehicles to comply with parking restrictions.

At the airport, the go-to spot for comparative snowfall measures, the accumulation measured 22.9 inches, enough to make it the fourth biggest in December there. To top that you have to go a Dec. 18-22, 1887 storm of 23.5 inches, a Dec. 13-15, 1915 monster of 24.7 inches and the grandaddy, Dec. 25-28, 1969, with 26.4 inches.

This storm was also the eighth greatest of all time in Albany, said National Weather Service meteorologist Steve DiRienzo.

The airport’s main runway had to be closed for short periods so booms and snowblowers could make repeated passes on the runway, which measures 8,500 by 150 feet. The airport snow team also had to clear aircraft ramps, access roads, parking lots and sidewalks.

A man walks along a snow covered street on Thursday in Albany.

“While the Airport covers just over 1,200 acres, crews plow the equivalent of over 120 miles of paved single-lane highway,” airport officials said in a statement.

Between 1 and 9 a.m., the snow was falling at a rate of two to three inches an hour, said Brian Frugis, Weather Service meteorologist. Soon enough, fellow meteorologist Thomas Wasula was calling it a “blockbuster snowstorm.”

Snowfall tapered off by early afternoon and in some places the sun popped out.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency in 18 counties on Thursday, including in Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga and Rensselaer. The Thruway speed limit from New York City to Syracuse was reduced to 45 mph temporarily.

The storm also hit during the coronavirus pandemic. Community testing at SUNY Schenectady had to be canceled Thursday because of piled snow and that county’s snow emergency.

Troy Mayor Patrick Madden declared a state of emergency at 9 a.m., meaning non-essential vehicle travel and municipal garbage and recycling collection is suspended. Saratoga County declared a state of emergency too, urging all drivers to avoid unnecessary travel.

About 1,200 people in Saratoga County, around Greenfield, lost power.

County Executive Dan McCoy and Sheehan each said their transportation staff expressed bewilderment at the magnitude of the snowstorm, which curtailed their ability to clear the roads because of the quantity of the snow and low visibility.

Snow caused many schools in the region to cancel, but for some area school districts, the heavy snow did not mean a snow day. Instead, a number of school districts — including North Colonie, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Watervliet — announced Wednesday that classes would be taught virtually.

DiRienzo said the Capital Region populace can expect a few clouds Friday morning, and then it will turn partly to mostly sunny by afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 20s. Some colder temperatures are coming: Saturday morning will be close to zero.

There’s a very good chance we’ll be dashing through the snow on Christmas.

“Looks like it’s not all going to melt,” DiRienzo said.