Hudson Valley customers face ice melt shortage ahead of major snowstorm
At Beck’s Hardware in Monroe, there was a steady stream of customers throughout the day, with phones ringing and supplies moving quickly off the shelves.
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As the Hudson Valley prepares for what could be the largest snowstorm of the season, customers are already running into ice melt shortages at local hardware stores — following a stretch of back-to-back winter storms that have kept demand high across the region.
At Beck’s Hardware in Monroe, there was a steady stream of customers throughout the day, with phones ringing and supplies moving quickly off the shelves. Store manager Scott Levi says ice melt sold out completely, with customers searching for whatever remained ahead of the storm.
“This is where our ice melt usually is — we are completely sold out until tomorrow,” Levi said.
Levi says repeated storms this winter have strained supplies locally, with little time for inventory to fully rebound between weather events. “We’ve had back-to-back storms, and this is obviously probably going to be the largest storm of the year,” he said. “We’ve just had so many storms back-to-back that people are constantly coming in for this stuff.”
Levi says a new shipment of ice melt is expected to arrive from Saratoga first thing Friday morning.
While ice melt and rock salt were top of mind for many customers, Levi also pointed out other cold-weather essentials people often overlook until conditions worsen — including hand and toe warmers, backup batteries, flashlights, gloves, and emergency car items like deicer and portable jump starters.
Customers News 12 spoke with said they weren’t taking any chances this time around. Some were seen loading bags of ice melt into their vehicles as soon as they became available, while others made larger purchases, including snowblowers.
One customer said his decision came down to timing — and his back. “Mine won’t start — bad timing,” he said of his old snowblower, adding, “My back hurts, so I don’t like to shovel anymore.”
As the storm approaches, News 12 will continue tracking how ice melt and rock salt supply concerns could impact residents across the Hudson Valley.
For the latest forecast and storm preparation updates, stay with News 12.
