More than two feet of snow has hit some areas across the Southtowns and into Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties since Friday morning.
The outlook for Erie County is expected to worsen, with the National Weather Service projecting a major snow event to migrate north from the Southtowns as Saturday wears on. Snowfall should remain heavy throughout the day, National Weather Service Buffalo Meteorologist David Thomas said.
“We're looking for another foot to foot-and-a-half across, like, far Southwestern Erie County, that will be just through the daytime today. Still looking for snowfall rates up to three inches per hour, and that would include the New York State Thruway and Route 5 going down across the southwest portion there of Erie County, and in Chautauqua County.”
A commercial travel ban is in effect on Interstate-90 from the I-390 exit at Rochester to the Pennsylvania state line, while all westbound travel on I-90 is blocked from Hamburg to the Pennsylvania border.
A travel advisory remains in effect for Erie County south of Buffalo, excluding Sardinia.
Wind isn’t a primary concern, with gusts around 30 miles an hour, but the amount of snow easily meets levels to be considered whiteout conditions, Thomas said.
"When we're getting those snowfall rates up to three inches an hour, that will greatly reduce visibility to just a few hundred feet, and that will make for very poor traveling, (and) just plain seeing," he said.
The snow band is expected to start weakening Sunday and migrate back south of Buffalo, Thomas said.
