ELLICOTTVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — While all of us are gearing up for another round of heavy lake effect snow across Western New York, in Ellicottville they have one saying, 'Let it snow.' Ellicottville is expecting roughly one foot of snow by Friday.
"Over an eight-day period, we had 49 inches of snow," Ellicottville Mayor John Burrell said. "Snow is a big part of Ellicottville's economy."
"Seasons ago, ski country was virtually non-existent in November and December, and now, it's really a beautiful time for skiers to enjoy," 7 News meteorologist Mary Beth Wrobel said. "The last couple of years, we were in an El Nino weather pattern. This year, we're in a La Nina. It's kind of weak, but it's really favoring the lake effect snow bands to go further south into the traditional snow belt areas like ski country and the Southern Tier."
"This was probably the best opening day that we can recall in a long time," Owner of the Boardroom Snowboard Shop Spencer Timkey said. "I'm sure my friends in Dunkirk are going to disagree with me, but the more snow the better."
"When you compare it to last season, it is night and day," Holiday Valley Director of Marketing Dash Hegeman said. "Snow is obviously the lifeblood of what we do here. It hypes people up. They start to plan their trips, and it gets all of the staff here really excited as well."
"We had a terrific weekend post-thanksgiving," Owner of the Ellicottville Bake Shop Jennifer Hogan said. "The snow really brings in the majority of people."
