A Lake Effect Snow Warning is in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday for Erie, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Genesee Counties, especially areas south of Buffalo and Batavia.
A heavy Lake Effect snow band will set up just south of Buffalo Monday afternoon. Three to five inches of snow is expected, but by late Monday evening, the snow band will shift north into Lackawanna, West Seneca, and South Buffalo dumping six to twelve inches of snow in the overnight and into Tuesday morning.
Along with the lake snows, the wind chill values could drop as low as 30-below. But it could feel even colder in the Southern Tier where forecasters predict the wind chill could be 40-below zero at times.
A Wind Chill warning is also in effect for all of Western New York from 6 p.m. Monday to 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Heavier snows should drift south toward the south towns and ski country during the day Tuesday. The National Weather Service says some areas could get as much as three feet of new snow.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Hitchcock says snow is already falling south of Buffalo.
"It will intensify across the Buffalo south towns and continue overnight through tomorrow...and the band will oscillate a little bit so it will make it as far north as the city at times and out to Batavia as well. We expect...by Wednesday morning in the most intense snow bands we may be looking at 2-3 feet of accumulation," Hitchcock said.
Areas north of Buffalo may see just a couple of inches of snow, however the entire region will have to contend with some of the coldest weather we've seen in years.
The City of Buffalo has opened 11 Warming Centers as a result of the bitter cold. They will also be open Tuesday and possibly Wednesday and are open for any city resident seeking shelter from the cold.
- 1). Autumnwood Senior Center, 1800 Clinton Street, 8:30am to 4:00pm.
- 2). Edward Saunders Center, 2777 Bailey Ave., 8:00am to 4:00pm
- 3). FLARE, 307 Leroy, 8:30am to 4:30pm
- 4). Hispanics United – 254 Virginia, 8:30am to 4:30pm
- 5). Old First Ward, - 62 Republic St., 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
- 6). Richmond / Summer Senior Center, 337 Summer Street, 8:00am to 4:00pm
- 7). North Buffalo Senior/Community Center, 203 Sanders Road, 9:00am to 9:00pm
- 8). TOSH Collins – 35 Cazenovia, 9:00am to 4:00pm
- 9). West Side Community Services, 161 Vermont St., 8:30am to 5:30pm
- 10). William-Emslie YMCA Senior Center, 585 William Street, 7:00am to 9:00pm
- 11) Schiller Park Community Center, 2057 Genesee Street, 8:30am to 4:30pm