Snow and some of the coldest temperatures "in years" will arrive in Western New York tonight, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist John Hitchcock says a Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday for Southern Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Wyoming Counties.
"It's going to snow very heavily along the Lake Erie shore from about Hamburg down toward the Pennsylvania state line. That lake effect snow will spread inland across the rest of the southern tier and Boston Hills through early evening...all night tonight, through tomorrow, and even into Wednesday," said Hitchcock.
"Some areas, after all is said and done, in the southern tier could see one to two feet total."
Hitchcock says driving will be very difficult Monday night, with around two inches per hour falling in the evening hours.
A portion of the New York State Thruway between Dunkirk and Westfield was closed early Monday evening after a series of accidents.
Parts of Chautauqua County, for example, could see 4 to 8 inches Monday night, 5 to 9 inches Tuesday, and 3 to 5 inches of lake effect snow Tuesday night.
A Lake Effect Snow Watch will be in effect from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning north of Buffalo. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday for the southern counties.
Temperatures across the region are expected to dip to 5 to 10 degrees above zero tonight with winds gusting up to 35 mph.
North and East of the City of Buffalo, 2 to 4 inches of Lake Effect snow are possible overnight.