The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a special weather advisory for those in Buffalo, New York and surrounding areas. In the past week, the western state of New York has seen record snowfall totaling an astounding 7 feet. To add insult to injury, the band of heavy snow is creating a burst with winds upwards of 30+ mph dumping the heavy precipitation at the rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour.
The NWS is asking people in the Buffalo and Rochester areas to use extreme caution if you must travel and to be aware of slick roads that may lead to accidents. On Saturday, November 20th, the Buffalo area experienced the largest amount of snowfall to record in a 24-hour period. It is estimated that 5 to 15 inches of snow is expected to fall in the area in the next 24-hours according to meteorologists.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered the New York National Guard in Erie County to help with snow removal and general aid with rescue operations. Winter weather alerts remain in effect for more than 9 million people across the Great Lakes states to include; Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and New York. Governor Hochul has signed a request for relief through the Federal Emergency Disaster Declaration. Since the snow storm began, three people have died from complications related to the storm.
On Friday, Governor Hochul thanked the people of New York for their preparedness ahead of the storm and for the Department of Transportation for shutting down roads and corridors that may have been unsafe for travel. As of Saturday, Buffalo Niagara International Airport canceled hundreds of flights arriving and departing, causing major delays up and down the eastern seaboard.
The National Football League made the decision last week to move Sunday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns to Detroit, Michigan amidst the record snowfall. The NWS is predicting another round of lake-effect snow for western New York later this week, which could produce 16 inches of snow for areas near Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Saturday, Buffalo saw 16.1 inches of snow which eclipses the record of 7.6 inches for a single 24-hour period.
As the winter advisory is in effect and active, we are urging all citizens to be safe and stay off the roads.
