+70
°
F
+74°
+58°
Niagara Falls
Thursday, 16
See 7-Day Forecast
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
3RD UPDATE: Just before 8 a.m., Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted, “Effective immediately, the travel ban has been lifted in the Town and Village of Lancaster. At 9am, the ban will be lifted in the Town of Cheektowaga and Villages of Sloan and Depew. We are in contact with the City of Lackawanna and will have updates soon.”
••••••••
2ND UPDATE: BAN LIFTED
•COMMERCIAL VEHICLE BAN LIFTED: The full commercial vehicle ban has been lifted on the New York State Thruway between Exit 46 and the Pennsylvania state line (I-90) in both directions, as well as the entire length of the (I-190) Niagara section.
•Statement from Gov. Kathy Hochul, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown
“Over the last 24 hours, we have seen dangerous, rapidly shifting conditions across Erie County. Our forecasts predict the City of Buffalo and eastern suburbs will receive an additional foot of snow tonight. To address these extreme conditions, we will be extending all current travel bans and advisories until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. At that time, restrictions will be lifted everywhere in the City of Buffalo, most of Erie County, all state roads and the New York State Thruway. A full travel ban will continue in the City of Lackawanna and the towns of Cheektowaga and Lancaster, which will be hardest hit overnight, but will be reevaluated after 6 a.m. We are grateful to the plow drivers, emergency personnel and first responders working to keep our communities safe.”
••••••••
UPDATE: Hochul updates New Yorkers on extreme weather, travel bans
√ Grand Island, Tonawanda, Amherst, Clarence and Newstead reopen to vehicle traffic
√ Travel ban remains in place in Central Erie County and many south towns; commercial vehicles also banned on New York State Thruway between Exit 46 and Pennsylvania state line
√ New Yorkers should continue to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel
Gov. Kathy Hochul and local authorities today announced that full travel ban for passenger and commercial vehicles in Erie County will be lifted in Grand Island, Tonawanda, Amherst, Clarence and Newstead at 3:30 p.m. Central Erie County and many south towns will remain under a full travel ban until further notice, and the thruway remains closed to commercial traffic between Exit 46 and the Pennsylvania state line.
Drivers are advised to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel.
“Our crews have been working around the clock to keep the roads clear and New Yorkers safe, and I am grateful that the vast majority of New Yorkers heeded our ban and stayed off the road,” Hochul said. “As conditions are improving in the north towns, we are lifting the travel ban there, but if you do not have to travel today, stay home and let our crews continue to work. If you are in central Erie County and much of the south towns, continue to stay home.”
New Yorkers in Western New York are being urged to stay home throughout the duration of the storm. Travel in impacted areas could be dangerous at times throughout the evening 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.
Currently, there are 25,569 outages statewide, including 18,518 outages in the Mid-Hudson region, 90 in Western New York and 42 in the North Country. Utility crews have kept up with the level of power outages incurred to date, and remain on standby to restore any additional power outages if and when they occur.
On Friday, 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 and Wyoming.
Earlier this morning, the travel ban was lifted in the towns of Collins, North Collins, Concord, Sardinia, Colden and Holland, as well as in the villages of North Collins and Springville.
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. New York National Guard and the New York state incident management team are operating sites at:
√ Erie Community College (South Campus), 4041 Southwestern Blvd., Buffalo
√ Windom Elementary School, 3870 Sheldon Road, Orchard Park
√ Orchard Park Middle School, 60 South Lincoln Ave.
The City of Buffalo has also opened warming shelters. More information can be found here. New York state has provided water and MREs for both state and city warming shelters.
••••••••
√ Potentially life-threatening blizzard conditions impact Western New York
√ Full travel ban in effect for passenger vehicles in Erie Country beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday and reassessed at 6 a.m. Sunday, Allowing Plows to Clear Roads Safely Overnight
√ Full travel ban for commercial vehicles on all state, county and local roads in Erie County and on the New York State Thruway between Exit 46 & Pennsylvania state line also beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday through duration of storm
√ New Yorkers can subscribe for emergency alerts here
Submitted by the Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul
Gov. Kathy Hochul and local authorities on Saturday announced a full travel ban for passenger vehicles will be in effect for all of Erie County beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday to give plow crews time and space to clear roads during the overnight hours.
This ban will be reassessed at 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Additionally, all commercial traffic will be banned on all state, county and local roads in Erie County and on the New York State Thruway between Exit 46 and the Pennsylvania state line beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday, as well. This ban will remain in effect indefinitely.
"Forecasts predict the most dangerous winter storm conditions since the Christmas Blizzard of 2022," Hochul said. "Working closely with county and city leaders, we are instituting a 9 p.m. travel ban that takes effect tonight to keep motorists 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.
After consulting with state officials, the NFL has decided to postpone the Bills-Steelers playoff game until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15.
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.
A widespread 1 to 2 feet of heavy lake-effect snow is forecast to impact areas near Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, including the cities of Buffalo and Watertown, with isolated, higher amounts possible, and snowfall rates reaching 3 inches per hour at times starting Saturday night and continuing through Sunday morning.
Winds will be strong in parts of Western New York with gusts up to 65 mph Saturday night and sustained winds of up to 40 mph on all day Sunday, while areas near Lake Ontario, including Jefferson, Lewis and Oswego counties, will see winds gusting as high as 50 mph through Monday.
Potentially life-threatening conditions are expected including damaging winds, heavy lake-effect snow, and frigid wind chills in the single digits starting Saturday night and continuing through to the middle of the week.
For a complete listing of weather alerts and forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website at https://alerts.weather.gov.
On Friday, 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 applies to the following counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego and Wyoming.
Metro Creative Graphics
••••••••
Travel Ban for Empty Trucks/Trailers and All Tandem Trucks
The current ban on all empty trucks/trailers and all tandem trucks remains in effect on the following routes:
•Thruway:
√ I-90 Exit 46 – state of Pennsylvania line
√ I-190 (south of the North Grand Island Bridge)
•NYSDOT:
√ Buffalo Skyway (NY 5)
√ U.S. 219
√ NY 400
√ I-190 (North of the North Grand Island Bridge)
√ I-290
√ I-990
√ Kensington Expressway (NY 33)
√ I-86 in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties
Warming Shelters
At 5 p.m. today, New York state will open and will operate warming shelters with cots, pillows and blankets, as well as mental health counselors at each site for assistance with using facilities.
New York National Guard and the New York State Incident Management Team will operate the sites at:
√ Erie Community College (South Campus), 121 Ellicott St., Buffalo
√ Windom Elementary School, 3870 Sheldon Road, Orchard Park
√ Orchard Park Middle School, 60 South Lincoln Ave.
The City of Buffalo will open shelters in the city this afternoon – more information here.
New York state will provide 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:
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.
Metro Creative Graphics
••••••••
Agency Activities
•New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has activated the state’s emergency operations center in Albany to coordinate the state's response throughout the severe weather event. The Office of Emergency Management is in contact with local counterparts and is prepared to facilitate requests for assistance, and state stockpiles are staffed and ready to deploy emergency response assets and shelter supplies as needed.
The state fire mobilization and mutual aid plan is activated and the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control has 24 personnel and various types of emergency response vehicles staged at the Buffalo Airport. The New York State Incident Management Team was deployed to Western New York in advance of the storm to assist with emergency management-related tasks.
•The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs is mobilizing 100 soldiers and airmen with 25 vehicles from the New York National Guard to provide general support to Western New York.
•The New York State Department of Transportation is actively responding to this statewide weather event with more than 3,700 operators and supervisors available statewide. Staff can be configured into any type of response crews that are needed (flood response, chipper, load and haul, sewer jet, cut and toss, traffic signal, etc.). All residencies in impacted locations will remain staffed for 24/7 operations with operators, supervisors and mechanics throughout the duration of the event and priority cleanup operations.
In addition to existing resources, the NYS DOT has deployed 74 staff, including 54 additional operators, 11 supervisors, six equipment trainers, two Incident command support specialists and one safety representative, to Western New York, along with 25 large snowplows, three large snowblowers, two loaders and a grader. Additionally, four traffic signal technicians are being deployed to the Finger Lakes region.
Statewide assets are as follows:
For real-time travel information, motorists should call 511 or visit https://www.511ny.org or the mobile site at m.511ny.org, New York state's official traffic and travel information source.
•The Thruway Authority is ready to respond to the lake-effect winter storm in Western New York with more than 700 operators and supervisors available statewide. The agency is shifting additional staff and snow fighting equipment from the Syracuse, Albany and New York divisions to support snow and ice operations in Western New York throughout the weekend.
Staff is currently monitoring the storm track, and additional operators and equipment are on standby and will be deployed if conditions warrant.
Statewide equipment numbers and resources are listed below:
Variable message signs and social media are utilized to alert motorists of winter weather conditions on the thruway.
The Thruway Authority encourages motorists to download its mobile app, which is available for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to real-time traffic information, live traffic cameras, and navigation assistance while on the go. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert emails and follow @ThruwayTraffic on X for the latest traffic conditions along the thruway.
Metro Creative Graphics
••••••••
•Department of Public Service: Electric utility companies regulated by the Department of Public Service will have approximately 11,000 workers available statewide to engage in response, repair and restoration efforts for this weekend’s winter weather event. Below is a breakdown of utility internal workers and external contract workers secured for this latest winter weather event.
√ Con Edison: 750 workers, including 100 external contract line workers for its Bronx/Westchester operating division
√ Orange & Rockland: 270 workers
√ NYSEG/RG&E: 4,358 total workers, including secured/maintained 2,630 external line workers and 436 external tree workers
√ National Grid: 4,362 total workers, including secured/maintained 2,069 external line workers and 382 external tree workers.
√ PSEGLI: 1,134 workers
√ Central Hudson: 135 workers
The utilities’ emergency response plans remain activated and will be reactivating their incident command structures to track response, damage assessment, repair, and restoration efforts throughout the event. DPS staff will track utilities' work throughout the event and ensure utility companies shift appropriate staffing to regions that experience the greatest impact. If your service is interrupted, visit the DPS utility service interruptions website for tips.
•The New York State Police continues to monitor weather conditions and is deploying additional troopers to impacted areas as needed. All State Police four-wheel drive and specialized vehicles, including snowmobiles, airboats and utility-terrain vehicles, are staged, and necessary equipment is being utilized for immediate response, as needed. All emergency power and communications equipment are functioning appropriately.
•New York State Department of Environmental Conservation emergency management staff, environmental conservation police officers, forest rangers and regional staff remain on alert and continue to monitor the developing situation and weather forecasts. DEC is coordinating resource deployment with agency partners and all available assets to targeted areas in preparation for potential impacts due to rain snow, and high winds, including swift water rescue teams and sawyers.
DEC reminds those responsible for the removal and disposal of snow to follow best management practices to help prevent flooding and reduce the potential for pollutants like salt, sand, oils, trash and other debris in snow from affecting water quality. Disposal of snow in local creeks and streams can create ice dams, which may cause flooding in nearby areas. Public and private snow removal operators should be aware of these safety issues during and after winter storms. Additional information is available at https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/water_pdf/togs5111new.pdf.
•New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Park Police and park personnel are on alert and closely monitoring weather conditions and impacts. Response equipment is being fueled, tested and prepared for storm response use. State Parks has sawyer crews in Western New York and the North Country on standby for deployment for potential road clearing operations.
••••••••
Bills Game Postponed
Sunday’s Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card game moved to 4:30 p.m. Monday
National Football League Press Release
Due to public safety concerns in light of the ongoing weather emergency in Western New York, Sunday's Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers game has been rescheduled to Monday at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by CBS (WIVB-TV Channel 4).
The decision to move the game to Monday was made in consultation with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the best interest of public safety, and with the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the region prepares for the storm.
1859 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY 14072
Phone: 716-773-7676
Fax: 716-773-7190
