The first significant snowfall of the winter season began in the Capital Region on Saturday evening.

When the first snowflakes fluttered down from the sky in the immediate Capital Region just before 9 p.m., there was an eerie sereneness and emptiness.

The snowplows that had already pretreated miles of blacktop with brine were beginning to trace back over those same routes, determined to keep them clear so that traffic could return safely sooner rather than later.

“What we do ask is that that you check on your neighbors during and after the storm to make sure that they are OK,” said Albany Fire Chief Joseph Gregory. “We also ask that you help firefighters by clearing hydrants on or near your property. We can’t stress enough how critical it is for these few minutes for us to gain access to these fire hydrants in the event of a fire.”

For people to gain access to their driveways, if they need to get out of the house Sunday morning, they may need to find someone to plow their driveway. If that’s the case, they may choose to get in touch with Plowz & Mowz, an app-based platform in over 65 cities that allows them to place an online order for snow removal. It is considered the Uber for snow plowing.

“We always say don’t wait until the last minute. You can order for tomorrow AM, tomorrow PM or ASAP,” said William Mahoney with Plowz & Mowz. “We recommend everyone, especially because it’s pretty much guaranteed that you guys are getting snow, place an order as early as possible, because it allows our routing and all of our technology to be able to do its best work and get jobs done as quick as possible.”

If the snow isn’t for you, just remember that spring begins on March 19.