A winter storm warning has been issued to the Western New York region, predicting heavy snows leading to difficult traveling conditions across New York State Monday evening.
The storm that is coming through is a part of a national weather event that hit the midwestern states Monday morning.
The heaviest snow will fall from 10 pm Monday evening through 7 am Tuesday morning with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour likely, according to the National Weather Service.
The warning says heavy snows are expected with a total accumulation of 7 to 14 inches by 1 pm Tuesday across Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Monroe and northern Erie counties.
"Travel will be very difficult with deep snow cover on roads and very poor visibility. The hazardous conditions will significantly impact the Tuesday morning commute," the warning says.
.The heaviest snow will fall from 10 pm Monday evening through 7 am Tuesday morning with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour likely, according to the National Weather Service
4:30PM update: Large shield of moderately heavy snow will overspread our area from SW to NE during the first half of tonight. The steadiest & heaviest snows will begin after about 8 PM across the S. Tier , by 10 PM across the remainder of WNY, & east of Lake Ontario by 12 AM. pic.twitter.com/Y8uXRLGDgc
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) February 15, 2021
Buffalo Public Works Commissioner Michael Finn said 7-11 inches of snow are expected to fall between 7 p.m. Monday and 1 p.m. Tuesday.
"Our crews have been working, preparing as we always do for the storms, getting our equipment ready," said Finn. "We'll be pre-treating closer to the start of the storm. And also scheduling crews so that we can quickly clean up the storm once it comes."
Wind shouldn’t be much of a problem, with gusts only reaching 15 to 20 miles per hour.
Finn said anyone who has concerns about traveling safely for their COVID vaccination appointment should contact the city’s 311 office.
"Our crews will be working to keep those mains and secondaries open for emergency access, as well as just travel that everyone can expect tomorrow." Finn said. "I think based on the the forecast, it certainly would be smart for motorists to plan for extra time. We'll know more in the morning once I know the actual snowfall hits."
As of Monday evening, weather forecasters are predicting a worse storm to hit the region Thursday night.
