AN ACR MD88 FLC WERE SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THE RWY THAT THEY HAD JUST LANDED ON WAS COVERED WITH 2-3 INCHES OF SLUSH. THEY LOST PARTIAL CTL OF THE ACFT AND THE NOSE GEAR TIRES LEFT THE RWY SURFACE AND THE L MAIN GEAR TIRES DEFLATED.

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FLT ON DEC/MON/97; FROM ATL TO SWF. I WAS FO PNF. THE ATL TKOF; DEP; ENRTE; SWF ARR AND APCH PHASES WERE NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL. PRIOR TO APCH I GOT INFO FROM ATIS. NO MENTION OF RWY CONDITION. ALL CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED WITH THE ACFT CONFIGURED FOR FLAP 40 DEG LNDG PRIOR TO THE OM. ATC CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 9; STATING THAT THE WIND WAS 010 DEGS AT 14 KTS AND BRAKING ACTION RPTED FAIR BY AN ACFT 30 MINS PRIOR TO OUR ARR. NO MENTION OF RWY CLUTTER WAS RPTED. ON APCH; THE CAPT BREIFED ME TO MONITOR THRUST REVERSE FOR ASYMMETRIC CONDITIONS DURING LNDG ROLLOUT. WINDSHIELD WIPERS HAD TO BE USED AS MODERATE SNOW WAS FALLNG. AT 400 FT AGL WE OBTAINED THE RWY ENVIRONMENT IN SIGHT AND CONTINUED TO LAND; MAINTAINING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE RWY THROUGHOUT THE TOUCHDOWN. THE CAPT TURNED OFF THE NOSE GEAR TAXI LIGHTS AS THE BRIGHT LIGHT OBSCURED OUR VISIBILITY IN THE MODERATE SNOW. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE OF RWY 9 ON CTRLINE. I CALLED 'SPOILERS; TWO BUCKETS; TWO IN REVERSE; BOTH AT 1.1; 110 KTS.' AT APPROX 100 KTS THE ACFT SUDDENLY STARTED TO DRIFT R OF CTRLINE WITH THE NOSE ROTATING TO THE L. L RUDDER WAS COMMANDED AND THE ENGS REVERSE THRUST DESELECTED. THE ACFT STOPPED ITS R DRIFT AND BEGAN DRIFTING L OF CTRLINE WITH THE NOSE CONTINUING TO ROTATE L INTO THE WIND. THE ACFT CAME TO REST WITH THE FUSELAGE OF THE ACFT PERPENDICULAR TO THE RWY WITH THE NOSE GEAR OFF THE RWY SURFACE. BOTH MAIN LNDG GEAR REMAINED ON THE RWY SURFACE. THERE WERE APPROX 3500 FT OF RWY 9 REMAINING. TWR ASKED US FOR A BRAKING ACTION RPT ON OUR ROLLOUT. I ADVISED TWR THAT WE HAD DEPARTED THE RWY; THAT BRAKING ACTION WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT FAIR; AND TO ROLL THE TRUCKS. THE EMER EQUIP RESPONDED WITHIN 2-3 MINS. WE DECIDED THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ACFT DAMAGE AND NOT A NEED TO EVAC THE PAX. PAX WERE INSTRUCTED TO REMAIN SEATED UNTIL TRANSPORTATION TO THE TERMINAL HAD ARRIVED. UPON DEPLANING THE CAPT AND I OBSERVED 2-3 INCHES OF SLUSH AND ICE COVERING THE RWY 9 SURFACE. ADDITIONALLY; WE LEARNED THAT OUR 2 L TIRES WERE FLAT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO OTHER ACFT DAMAGE. THE PAX REMAINED CALM AND THERE WERE NO RPTS OF PERSONAL INJURY. THE BOTTOM LINE IN THIS INCIDENT IS THAT WE WERE NOT GIVEN CRITICAL INFO BY SWF TWR (2-3 INCHES OF STANDING SLUSH ON THE RWY) WITH WHICH TO MAKE A DECISION THAT WOULD HAVE AVERTED THIS INCIDENT. OUR COMPANY GUIDANCE LIMITS US TO A MAX OF 1 INCH OF SLUSH FOR LNDG. HAD WE KNOWN THE RWY CONDITION WE WOULD HAVE EITHER HELD UNTIL THEY SWEPT THE RWY; OR DIVERTED TO JFK.