State of Emergency declared for much of WNY amid storm

Latest Forecast | Travel Restriction & Parking Bans

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Several counties throughout Western New York have been placed under a State of Emergency amid this weekend’s winter storm, Governor Kathy Hochul said Friday.

Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Genesee, Allegany and Wyoming counties were placed in a State of Emergency just before 2:45 p.m.

The Village of Fredonia and Town of Pomfret are under a travel ban for the duration of the snowstorm, the Fredonia Office of Emergency Management announced. The City of Dunkirk changed its travel ban to an advisory at noon Sunday.

All of the driving bans in Erie County were lifted Sunday morning, but a travel advisory remains in effect for a majority of the southern and central parts of the county, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced in a social media post.

An “extreme impact” is expected for multiple towns in Southern Erie County, including in Brant, Eden, Evans, Hamburg and parts of Orchard Park, Poloncarz said in a news conference Friday. Northern Erie County is expected to get six inches at most.

“The snow totals through Monday are significant, but these are not amounts we cannot handle, because it’s falling basically over a two-day period,” Poloncarz said.

Several other counties across New York were also put under a State of Emergency.

The snow is not expected to be falling during the Bills game on Sunday night, but the area around Highmark Stadium is expected to get 20-30 inches of snow in the days and hours leading up to the game.

Hochul announced Sunday afternoon that Department of Transportation crews are working to clear snow on state roads around the stadium to make traveling safer for attendees. She also said an additional one to two feet of snowfall is possible in Western New York, with northern Chautauqua County and south-central Erie County having the potential for the most accumulation.

Snow throughout much of the area began on Friday. Several feet of snow is expected in the areas off of the lake, including in Southern Erie County and Chautauqua County. The highest lake-effect potential will mainly target higher elevation areas south of Rt. 20A starting on Friday. The lake snow started late Friday night across Chautauqua County late through Saturday morning and is continuing through the weekend.

Those from Buffalo northward were expected to get into the snow later on Saturday with only minor totals. Winds on Friday and Saturday were expected in gusts of up to 30 mph, creating whiteout conditions.

Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon announced that the City of Buffalo’s winter parking regulations will go into effect on Saturday at 6 a.m.

A Code Blue has been put into effect for Friday night in Erie County and the City of Buffalo. The following overnight shelters will be open Sunday night:

• 586 Genesee St., Buffalo, N.Y., 14204 — Open 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

• Dulski Center, 129 Lewis St., Buffalo, N.Y., 14206 — Open 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The following Daytime Warming Center will be open on Monday:

• 586 Genesee St., Buffalo, N.Y., 14204

To see the full 4Warn Weather forecast, click here.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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