New York Declares State of Emergency as Upstate Braces for Intense Snowstorm
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday declared a state of emergency for 11 counties as a winter storm is forecast to slam the Buffalo area and other upstate counties with intense “lake effect” snow through Sunday.
The most significant snowfall is expected Thursday and Friday with accumulations of up to four feet of snow possible in the Buffalo area and up to two feet or more of snow possible in the Watertown area, with snowfall rates of three or more inches per hour.
As of 6:54 am Friday morning, the National Weather Service was already reporting snow totals of 7″ (north Buffalo) to 20″ (Hamburg) on the ground in parts of Erie County including more than a foot of snow at the airport. Smaller amounts were reported in other areas.
The state of emergency applies to the following counties, as well as contiguous counties: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Niagara, Oneida, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and Wyoming.
Hazardous travel conditions and local power outages as a result of the storm are likely due to the combination of snow and wind in the forecast.
The state has closed down the New York State Thruway,
Hochul urged New Yorkers to avoid unnecessary travel Thursday evening through Friday, particularly in the Buffalo and Watertown areas.
The NFL announced that the Buffalo Bills’ home game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns will be moved to Detroit due to “public safety concerns and out of an abundance of caution in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York.”
Hochul said the state has been preparing around the clock for this potentially life-threatening weather event, bringing in additional safety personnel and equipment and activating emergency operation centers, in addition to closing the Thruway.
Lake Effect Snow Warning and Winter Storm Watches are in effect through Sunday evening for several counties in the Western New York, Finger Lakes, Central New York and North Country regions. The National Weather Service forecast anticipates several feet of snow for multiple locations over the duration of this storm.
According to the National Weather Service, areas within the lake effect snow bands will experience near-zero visibility at times and covered roadways will make travel extremely hazardous, if not impossible. Due to the localized nature of this event, total snowfall accumulations will be highly dependent on where snow bands develop and could shift significantly with changes in wind direction.
Photo: Snow squall. Source: National Weather Service