UPDATE: This blog was created for a lake effect storm that impacted Western New York over Thanksgiving weekend and has since ended. To find the latest updates and current conditions from the 7 Weather team you can click here.
If you're looking for a blog with live updates for the mid-December storm, you can find that here.
ORIGINAL: As the lake effect snowstorm rolls through Western New York, conditions are rapidly changing. You can follow along for the latest updates on road closures and event cancellations below.
Monday 8:00 p.m. update
A travel advisory has been issued for Southern Cattaraugus County due to heavy lake-effect snow along the I-86. Drivers are asked to avoid non-essential travel.
Monday 11:00 a.m. update
A lake effect snow warning remains in place through 7 p.m. Tuesday for Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties and snow totals will continue to increase well south of Buffalo through Tuesday. Lake snow will move toward Buffalo for the Wednesday morning commute and general snow will arrive Wednesday afternoon through Thursday. You can watch the latest forecast here.
The commercial vehicle ban on I-90 in both directions from exit 46 (Rochester – Corning - I-390) to the Pennsylvania state line was lifted overnight Sunday into Monday.
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE BAN LIFTED: The Commercial Vehicle ban on the Thruway (I-90) in both directions from exit 46 (Rochester – Corning - I-390) to the Pennsylvania State Line HAS BEEN LIFTED. pic.twitter.com/1Ys0Aqr8C0
— New York State Thruway Authority (@NYSThruway) December 2, 2024
Sunday 2:00 p.m. update
The Buffalo Philharmonic performance of Handel's Messiah at the OLV National Shrine & Basilica on Sunday has been postponed to Saturday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. due to the weather conditions. All tickets will be honored then but refunds are available at tickets@bpchorus.org or (716) 980-5701.
Sunday 12:00 p.m. update
The City of Dunkirk has changed its travel ban to a travel advisory. Non-essential travel is still discouraged. Drivers are asked to continue to move vehicles to alternating sides by 5 p.m. daily.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. update
The Hamburg Festival of Lights announced it is closed on Sunday. Ticket holders will be able to use their tickets for any other night the experience is open. The remaining full experience nights include December 6-8 and 13-23.
Sunday 10:30 a.m. update
All driving bans in Erie County were lifted as of 10 a.m. A travel advisory remains across much of the county.
Effective 10 AM, all Driving Bans have been lifted in Erie County.
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) December 1, 2024
A Travel Advisory still exists for much of southern and central Erie County, including the City of Buffalo South of Bailey Avenue.
Go Bills! Beats the 49ers! pic.twitter.com/4euSKBrxPT
A Code Blue is also in effect Sunday with shelters at 586 Genesee Street and 129 Lewis Street open from 8 PM to 8 AM.
📢 Update on Warming Shelters in the City of Buffalo: The warming shelters at Tosh Collins, Machnica Center, and Hennepin Community Center, which were opened out of an abundance of caution due to the lake effect snow affecting parts of the city, are now CLOSED. pic.twitter.com/tGSRvW14aB
— Mayor Chris Scanlon (@MayorScanlon) December 1, 2024
Sunday 10:00 a.m. update
The Motown Christmas performance at Shea's 710 on Sunday has been postponed. Due to weather conditions on the thruway, the performers can't make it to Buffalo. A new date will be announced later this week.
Sunday 9:00 a.m. update
A portion of North Bailey Avenue and Ridge Lea Road in Amherst will be closed from Sunday, December 1 through Friday, December 6 for storm culverts and other drainage work. Drivers are asked to use alternative routes during this time.
Sunday 7:30 a.m. update
Travel bans remain in effect this morning in Brant, Dunkirk and Evans. Travel advisories remain in effect for Cattaraugus County and Southern Erie County, including South Buffalo from Bailey Avenue.
The entire I-90 westbound is open for passenger vehicles, but the thruway from Exit 46 (Rochester) to the Pennsylvania state line remains closed to commercial vehicles.
You can also track the latest closings here.
7:30AM Snow Response Update from our 5 maintenance districts!
— Erie County DPW (@ErieCountyDPW) December 1, 2024
Check here to see who maintains your road: https://t.co/U0Ciwq2XDc
If your road isn't listed, it's likely state, town, village or city-maintained.
Erie County Highway District Map: https://t.co/dMxuyOqxRl pic.twitter.com/ffs8KUaGxy
Saturday 7:00 p.m. update
The driving bans have been lifted in the Village of Fredonia and the Town of Pomfret. A travel advisory has been issued for South Buffalo from Bailey Avenue to the city line near Lackawanna. Driving conditions have deteriorated as the lake effect ban shifted north into the southernmost portion of the city.
Saturday 5:00 p.m. update
The New York State Thruway Authority has reopened I-90 westbound to passenger traffic from Exit 57 (Hamburg) to the Pennsylvania state line. A ban on commercial vehicles remains in effect from Exit 46 (Rochester/Corning/I-390) to Pennsylvania.
Driving bans remain in effect for Angola, Brant, Dunkirk, Evans and Fredonia.
Saturday 1:00 p.m. update
Conditions are starting to deteriorate in southern Erie County. This is a 1:00 p.m. look at the Hamburg interchange. The lake effect band is expected to move north through the day. If you have to travel, use extreme caution and follow any closures or bans pinned to our profile. pic.twitter.com/NWFMwQII3E
— New York State Thruway Authority (@NYSThruway) November 30, 2024
Saturday 12:30 p.m. update
Dunkirk Police have upgraded the travel advisory to a travel ban on Saturday.
"Only essential workers will still be allowed to travel to ensure that critical services continue uninterrupted. Essential workers are those who perform operations and services that are critical to maintaining infrastructure and public health and safety. We thank them for their dedication and commitment during this time."
Police are asking residents to follow alternate parking regulations to help with snow removal efforts. Police say all vehicles must be moved to the alternate side by 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 12:00 p.m. update
The City of Buffalo is implementing winter parking regulations effective immediately. These include restrictions on overnight parking on bus routes between 1:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. and seasonal alternate parking on side streets to ensure plows and emergency vehicles can navigate safely.
The City of Buffalo is also activating warming centers to help people in need. Tosh Collins Community Center, Machnica Community Center and Hennepin Park Community Center are now open. A Code Blue is also in effect, with shelters at 586 Genesee Street and the Dulski Center at 129 Lewis Street open from 8 PM to 8 AM.
Saturday 12:00 p.m. update
Fredonia University has canceled classes and activities for Monday, December 2. It says most students are currently away from campus for the holiday break and it does not want them traveling back to the Fredonia area given the current travel condition and forecast.
Saturday 11:45 a.m. update
New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued an update on the storm response on Saturday. She says more than 100 National Guard members are staged in Western New York.
Statewide equipment numbers are as follows:
- 1,635 large plow trucks
- 339 large loaders
- 150 medium-duty plows
- 51 tow plows
- 35 snow blowers
- 18 graders
Statewide equipment numbers and resources from the Thruway Authority are listed below:
- 368 large and medium-duty plow trucks
- 10 tow plows
- 63 loaders
- 126,000+ tons of salt on hand
Saturday 11:10 a.m. update
The Hamburg Festival of Lights announced it is closed on Saturday. Ticket holders will be able to use their tickets for any other night the experience is open. The remaining full experience nights include December 1, 6-8 and 13-23.
Saturday 11:00 a.m. update
The video embedded below shows travel conditions on the New York State Thruway in Dunkirk on Saturday morning.
Saturday 10:30 a.m. update
The post embedded below shows the difference in travel conditions about 35 miles apart on Saturday.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. update
The Village of Fredonia and the Town of Pomfret are under a travel ban as of Saturday morning.
Saturday 9:45 a.m. update
The New York State Thruway Authority says I-90 remains closed westbound from Exit 57 (Hamburg—East Aurora—State Route 75) to the Pennsylvania state line as of Saturday morning. This is due to the interstate being closed in Pennsylvania.
Meantime, thruway crews are working to clear the 90. A post on X Saturday morning shows at least a portion of the thruway has been cleared of snow.
#WNY - Thruway crews worked around the clock and the Thruway is clear but remains closed westbound at exit 57 (Hamburg) while Pennsylvania works to clear their roads. Interstates in PA beyond the NY state line remain impassable. Avoid travel in the area if possible. pic.twitter.com/bJbKReG36d
— New York State Thruway Authority (@NYSThruway) November 30, 2024
Saturday 9:15 a.m. update
The City of Dunkirk has issued a travel advisory as of Saturday morning. Authorities say any non-essential travel is strongly discouraged at this time.
Friday 3:00 p.m. update
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced a travel advisory has been issued for a portion of the county due to lake effect snow.
As of 3:00 p.m. Friday, a travel advisory is in place for the following communities:
- Lackawanna
- West Seneca
- Elma
- Marilla
- Hamburg
- Orchard Park
- Aurora
- Wales
- Evans
- Eden
- Boston
- Colden
- Holland
- Brant
- North Collins
- Collins
- Concord
Poloncarz said this is not a travel ban, but conditions are expected to rapidly deteriorate overnight. Officials expect those areas may see upwards of two feet of snow throughout the weekend.
While conditions are good now, they are expected to deteriorate rapidly in southern and central Erie County tonight and in the overnight hours. As such, I have issued a travel advisory for most of southern and central Erie County as more fully described on the below map 👇 pic.twitter.com/01yCS7WcOk
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) November 29, 2024
Buffalo Bills Game update
As for the Buffalo Bills game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, Poloncarz said the latest information from the University of Albany Weather Center is that it is expected that the heaviest snow will have stopped by game time and at this time they do not expect the game to be postponed.
However, it is possible there could be 20 to 30 inches of snow on the ground which will be "concerning" for people trying to travel to the game.
Officials recommend if you're planning on going to the game use caution to get there safely. You should also dress accordingly as there will be gusty winds and wind chills are expected to be in the teens during the game.
State of Emergency
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a State of Emergency for the following WNY counties as lake effect snow has begun to impact portions of the region.
- Allegany
- Cattaraugus
- Chautauqua
- Erie
- Genessee
- Wyoming
You can find the latest traffic information here.
You can find the most up-to-date weather information from the 7 Weather team here.
