Kathy Hochul declares state of emergency in several NY counties over lake-effect snowstorm

The third significant lake-effect snowstorm since the end of November is blasting Great Lakes communities with strong winds and heavy snow that has led to treacherous travel conditions and a state of emergency in parts of New York state.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on X that she had declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Jefferson and Erie counties, due to the expected feet of additional snowfall expected through the rest of the week.

In addition, a tandem and empty tractor-trailer ban has been implemented in both directions on the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) from Exit 53 west to the Pennsylvania state line, as well as for portions of Route 5, U.S. 219, N.Y. Route 400 and Interstate 86.

“Our first responders and emergency crews are on the ground ready to deal with this storm,” Hochul said in a post on X. “I urge New Yorkers to take precautions to stay safe.”

The snow has been falling fast and furious across portions of Pennsylvania and New York, with several communities already picking up more than two feet of snow.

Both Eden and Orchard Park both picked up more than two feet, with Hamburg getting close at 22 inches.

Orchard Park has also issued a local state of emergency and implemented a driving ban that will be in effect until further notice.

“Town Highway and Village (Department of Public Works) crews have been working throughout the night to remove snow from roadways,” police said in a Facebook post. “Our 911 center and police personnel are handling an increasing number of calls for service. Please adhere to the driving ban as we all work collectively to keep our community safe.”

There were also reports of rare thundersnow in the Watertown, New York, area, early Thursday morning. Thundersnow is when thunder and lightning are observed while precipitation falls in the frozen variety.

Similar to thunderstorms, thundersnow requires a significant amount of atmospheric instability, and in areas where the phenomenon occurs, snowfall rates can be exceptionally heavy.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said he was advised that local states of emergency have also been declared in towns across western New York, including Brant and Evans. Travel bans have been implemented due to poor visibility.

Poloncarz said an Erie County Department of Public Works plow truck drove off the road on Route 20 in the Evans and Hamburg areas. That driver was not injured.

Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon said he has been in constant contact with both Hochul and Poloncarz regarding the high-impact lake-effect snowstorm, and said Buffalo City Hall would be closed Thursday due to the winter weather conditions.

Exclusive FOX Weather Storm Tracker Corey Gerken was in Hamburg on Thursday morning and said travel in the area has become a “complete nightmare.”

Gerken said it’s the heaviest snowfall he’s seen in the area in quite a while.

“Everyone is getting stuck on the roads,” he said. “It’s a complete nightmare out here.”

Traveling in these conditions is bad enough, but the intensity that the snow has been falling has been making it even more treacherous.

“It’s snowing so heavy out here that you actually can’t, like, tell where the road is at,” he said. “Usually, every time I’ve covered snow over here, they’ve done a pretty good job at keeping up with the roads. So, this is actually the first I’ve ever seen them this bad here in Hamburg. 

Impacts to travel have also been reported across portions of Pennsylvania, including some commercial travel bans on I-86 between I-90 and the New York state line, as well as the entire length of I-90 from the Ohio state line to the New York state line.

Speed restrictions are also in effect for portions of interstates 80 and 81.

Videos recorded from the Erie, Pennsylvania, area, show the heavy snow that began falling Wednesday night.

FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell has been in Erie and shared a timelapse video showing bands of lake-effect snow impacting the region.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said his state, too, had been preparing for impacts from the storm. In a post on X, Shapiro said members of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency were on the ground in Erie before the winter weather arrived.

“They’ll be ready to help clear the roads and ensure folks get where they need to go,” he said. “Stay safe out there.”

More snow is on the way

The National Weather Service office in Buffalo said heavy lake-effect snow would bring multiple feet of snow east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario through Friday morning, and strong winds could lead to near-whiteout conditions.

That, forecasters warned, would bring “major impacts to travel and society where the heaviest snow is expected.”

The FOX Forecast Center said cold air from Canada is expected to pour over the still-warm Great Lakes, helping to enhance snowfall for communities along the eastern and southern shores of the lakes through Friday.

The combination of gusty winds and blowing snow is expected to lead to near-blizzard conditions, especially on Thursday when winds peak at 25-45 mph.