December snow: All bans and restrictions on state roads lifted

Troopers responded to 233 storm-related disabled vehicles, 74 crashes

√ Very heavy lake-effect snow for areas east of Lake Ontario to continue, with snowfall rates up to 3 inches per hour through this afternoon

√ Snowfall totals in Western New York reach 42 inches in Eden with top snowfall rates of 4.8 inches per hour in Lackawanna

√ State of emergency remains in effect for Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Franklin, Genesee, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and Wyoming counties

Submitted by the Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul 

Gov. Kathy Hochul provided an update to New Yorkers on ongoing lake-effect snow conditions in portions of the North Country, Western New York and Central New York.

Extremely heavy lake-effect snow east of Lake Ontario will drift south into northern Oswego County today, producing snowfall rates up to 3 inches per hour through this afternoon. Some locations could see up to 18 inches in the most persistent bands, including far northern Oneida County. For areas near Lake Erie, lake-effect snow weakened overnight, and snowfall rates should be less than 1 inch per hour today. All bans on state roads have been lifted and roads are now open to traffic. Throughout the storm, State Police troopers responded to 233 storm-related disabled vehicles and 74 crashes with no reported storm-related fatalities.

“Our No. 1 priority is keeping New Yorkers safe, and I thank our state workers and first-responders for their round-the-clock efforts during this storm,” Hochul said. “I urge New Yorkers to remain alert and to continue monitoring their local forecasts as conditions could change. We will remain vigilant and make sure we deploy resources where they are needed most as the lake-effect snow continues.”

A state of emergency remains in effect for Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Franklin, Genesee, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wyoming counties.

Snowfall totals in Western New York topped out at 45.5 inches in Eden, with snowfall rates reaching 4.8 inches per hour in Lackawanna. So far in the North Country, more than 25 inches of snow have fallen so far in Copenhagen, with snowfall rates of 3.5 inches per hour in Harrisburg.

A lake-effect snow warning is in effect until 7 p.m. for Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis counties, and a lake-effect snow warning was in effect until 1 p.m. for Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Southern Erie counties. A winter weather advisory is also in effect until 1 a.m. Saturday for northern Oneida County.

For a complete listing of weather alerts, visit the National Weather Service website at alerts.weather.gov. here. New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts by subscribing to NY Alert at alert.ny.gov, a free service providing critical emergency information to a cell phone or computer. For real-time travel information, motorists can call 511 or visit https://www.511ny.org/#:Alerts, New York state's official traffic and travel information source.