Travel Ban Lifted in Towns of Collins, North Collins, Concord, Sardinia, Colden and Holland; Ban Also Lifted in Village of North Collins and Village of Springville
Full Travel Ban Remains in Effect for Passenger and Commercial Vehicles on All State, County and Local Roads in Rest of Erie Country; Commercial Vehicles Also Banned on New York State Thruway Between Exit 46 and the Pennsylvania State Line
Lake-Effect Weather Systems to Continue Creating Near Impossible and Dangerous Travel with Whiteout Conditions Throughout Sunday
Potentially Life-Threatening Conditions Including Damaging Winds, Freezing Temperatures and Lake Effect Snow
State of Emergency in Effect for Multiple Counties; New York National Guard Deployed to Western New York for Emergency Response Support
Search and Rescue Personnel Deployed to Western NY
New Yorkers Urged to Prepare for Potential Power Outages and Other Severe Winter Weather Impacts
New Yorkers Can Subscribe for Emergency Alerts Here
Governor Kathy Hochul and local authorities today announced that the full travel ban for passenger and commercial vehicles remains in most of Erie County, but has been lifted in the Towns of Collins, North Collins, Concord, Sardinia, Colden and Holland, as well as in the Villages of North Collins and Springville. Potentially life-threatening, blizzard-like conditions with near-zero visibility continue to impact much of Erie County. All commercial vehicles also remain banned on the New York State Thruway between Exit 46 and the Pennsylvania State Line. While certain areas may appear clear now, the snow bands will continue to oscillate throughout Erie County and conditions could rapidly become dangerous. This ban will be reassessed later in the day on Sunday.
"My top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, and this winter storm continues to pose a life and safety risk," Governor Hochul said. "While there are some areas that are no longer experiencing whiteout conditions, much of Erie County remains unsafe for motorists. Please take precautions, monitor local forecasts and take steps to keep you and your family safe."
New Yorkers in Western New York are being urged to stay home throughout the duration of the storm. Travel in impacted areas will be impossible and dangerous at times throughout the weekend due to life-threatening blizzard-like conditions. New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts by subscribing to NY Alert at https://alert.ny.gov, a free service providing critical emergency information to your cell phone or computer.
Heavy lake effect snow will continue off the eastern shores of both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario throughout Sunday, with snowfall rates of two to three inches possible, as well as thundersnow in the heaviest parts of the bands. Winds will begin out of the southwest Sunday morning gusting at 35-40 mph and will increase to 40-50 mph this afternoon. In Western New York, the lake effect band will begin over Niagara and Orleans County in the morning and then move southward into northern Erie County across Buffalo by late morning, reaching the Southtowns in the afternoon. In the North Country, bands will begin in northern Jefferson County and then move south towards Watertown in the afternoon. Tonight, snowfall rates are expected to remain at two to three inches per hour in the heaviest bands, but wind gusts will diminish to 30 mph. IN Western New York, the band is expected to oscillate near or just south of Buffalo for most of the night, while in the North Country, the band is expected to oscillate between the central Tug Hill plateau and Watertown. For a complete listing of weather alerts and forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website at https://alerts.weather.gov.
On Friday, Governor Hochul declared a State of Emergency to warn and prepare New Yorkers for potentially dangerous and life-threatening weather forecasted to impact communities along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario with blizzard-like conditions. The State of Emergency remains in effect and applies to the following counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Wyoming.
Warming Shelters
New York State continues to operate warming shelters with cots, pillows, and blankets, as well as mental health counselors at each site for assistance with using facilities. NY National Guard and the New York State Incident Management Team are operating the sites:
- Erie Community College (South Campus), 4041 Southwestern Blvd, Buffalo, NY 14203
- Windom Elementary School, 3870 Sheldon Rd, Orchard Park, NY 14127
- Orchard Park Middle School, 60 South Lincoln Ave, Orchard Park, NY 14127
The City of Buffalo has also opened warming shelters, more information on them can be found here. New York State has provided water and MREs for both state and city warming shelters.
Search and Rescue
New York has surged additional search and rescue resources to Western New York in response to this storm including:
- 33 State-tracked vehicles
- 50 4x4s
- 25 military vehicles
Additional resources are staged outside the storm area ready to deploy if needed, and the state is coordinating with the County to engage the snowmobile clubs for additional assistance as well.
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