State of emergency, driving bans declared as snow pounds parts of WNY

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for multiple counties in Western New York on Wednesday night ahead of the incoming lake-effect snowfall.

Erie, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee and Wyoming counties are all under the state of emergency, along with additional counties in the North Country.

Acting Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon declared a state of emergency for the City of Buffalo at 9 p.m. Thursday, as well as a travel advisory for South Buffalo from the south end of William Street to the city line.

Following Scanlon’s announcement, Buffalo Public Schools announced that schools will be closed on Friday.

Erie County plow overturns at Lakeview Road, Route 20

Erie, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Wyoming and Genesee counties are under a lake-effect snow warning until 1 p.m. Friday. Some areas could see 2 feet of snow or more this week, with conditions worsened by winds gusting up to 45 mph.

Additionally, the Wegmans grocery store on McKinley Parkway in Blasdell will close at 4 p.m. Thursday due to the storm. All other locations will remain open.

Travel bans

As the snow band settles over southern Erie County and adject regions, travel bans have been instituted in several towns, as well as restrictions on some highways.

Travel bans are in place for Hamburg, Orchard Park, Elma, Aurora, Wales, Evans, Eden, Boston, Holland, Blasdell, Brant and North Collins as of 12:35 p.m. Thursday. Dunkirk downgraded from a ban to a travel advisory at 6 p.m. Thursday. The rest of southern Erie County is under a travel advisory. The town of Marilla emphasizes that no unnecessary travel should take place there, saying it has already received two feet of snow.

1 of 4: Good and bad news: Good news first, the snow band has weakened and split into two bands. Some of the areas that were hit bad this morning are getting a reprieve. pic.twitter.com/jAh8lMxMwD

— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) December 12, 2024

Route 400 is closed in both directions from I-90 to Route 16 in Aurora due to the storm. Additionally, State Route 219 from I-90 in West Seneca to Peters Road in Cattaraugus County is closed.

A tandem and empty tractor trailer ban will be in effect starting midnight Thursday until further notice on New York State Thruway I-90 from Exit 53 West to the Pennsylvania state line in both directions. The ban is also issued for Route 5 from NY 179 to I-190, US 219 from I-90 to I-86, Route 400 from I-90 to NY 16, and I-86 from US 219 to the Pennsylvania state line. US 219 is closed from the I-90 to Springville.

Buffalonians advised to be prepared in case of shifting snow conditions

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Buffalo is expected to get around one to three inches through Thursday, while southern Erie County, Dunkirk, and surrounding areas could get two feet or more. Hochul said in a release that wind gusts of 30 to 45 miles per hour may cause whiteout conditions.

Hochul urged New Yorkers to avoid unnecessary travel and sign up for emergency alerts.

Click here to see the latest weather alerts from the National Weather Service and here to see the latest school closings and delays.

See the latest 4Warn Weather forecast here.

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Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here.

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