Another wind whipped blast created a treacherous ride into work for commuters across the Buffalo Niagara region. A very fine snow and strong winds made driving conditions difficult Thursday morning.
Numerous accidents occurred, including a serious pile up along the inbound Kensington Expressway in Buffalo. The crash shut down a portion of the westbound 33 near Best Street as emergency crews responded to the scene. But it was cleared after 10 a.m. Other accidents were also reported on Route 5, the I-90 and 219.
The snow hit during the heavy rush hour. Traffic was well under speed. Winds left visibility to less than half a mile and the roads were snow covered and slick. Traffic was at a crawl on many major streets. Commuters heading into downtown Buffalo from Niagara County, the Tonawanda’s and Kenmore spent more than an hour traveling to the city.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until noon Thursday. A Wind Chill Warning is also posted for Erie, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Livingston and Wyoming Counties until 10 a.m. Friday.
The National Weather Service says moderate snow will continue across the area into the noon hour. Visibility will be reduced and expect slick road conditions.
Meteorologist Dan Kelly says temperatures will drop throughout the day.
"In addition, winds with gusts up to 30 mph could produce wind chill readings as low as 15 to 20 degrees below zero," Kelly said.
Nearly 4 inches of snow fell at the airport weather station this morning, pushing the total for the season about 100 inches for the first time since 2011.
"The last time we had that much snow was 2010-2011. We finished the year with 111.8 inches," Kelly told WBFO.