BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced a number of closings and changes Wednesday ahead of predicted harsh winter weather this holiday weekend.
The storm is expected to bring lake-effect snow, subfreezing temperatures, as well as power outages across the city and Western New York region.
"A winter storm watch has been issued for all of Western New York except for Allegany Count from 7 a.m. on Friday until 7 a.m. on Monday," stated Mayor Brown. "I encourage everyone to plan accordingly and finish up their last-minute holiday shopping and errands by Thursday before the harsh weather arrives."
The following closures and changes were announced Wednesday in advance of the storm:
- Garbage, recycling pickup in Buffalo will be canceled on Friday, Dec. 23
- City residents are asked to not put their totes out on Thursday evening if the scheduled garbage and recycling collection day is on Friday. Pickup will be on Monday, Dec. 26. All other scheduled pickups for the week of Dec. 26 will be picked up one day later than usual, through Saturday.
- Buffalo's four waterfront parks will close to pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicular traffic on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 3 p.m. These parks include Ralph Wilson Park, Bird Island Pier, Broderick Pier, and Erie Basin Marina.
- The city of Buffalo's two indoor pools, Cazenovia and Lovejoy will be closed on Friday, Dec. 23 due to the storm.
The mayor reminded city residents to sign up for BUFFALERT, if they haven't already, to stay informed of snow emergencies and other public service announcements. To sign up for BUFFALERT, you can text your zip code to 38726.