Heavy snow is expected to continue to accumulate in western New York state through Sunday after a historic storm sent the Buffalo area experiencing record snowfall totaling more than 6 feet in some areas.
Just after 11 p.m. this Saturday, the National Weather Service in Buffalo issued a special statement warning that a band of heavy snow accompanied by strong winds was creating a “snow burst” in western New York state. The band was moving south of the Buffalo and Rochester metropolitan areas, the weather service said.
“This band of heavy snow is producing extremely heavy snowfall at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour,” he said. “Be very careful if you must travel…Rapid changes in visibility and potentially slippery roads can lead to accidents.”
While the Buffalo area is used to dealing with heavy snow, this storm has generated “a lot more than we usually get”, Mayor Byron Brown told CNN.
Erie County, which includes Buffalo, saw the most snow in a 24-hour period on Saturday, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Since the snow began, two people have died of heart complications related to shoveling snow and trying to clear the ground, he said.
As the heaviest snow slides south of the Buffalo metropolitan area into southern Erie and Chautauqua counties overnight, an additional 6 to 18 inches may hit the region, especially on higher ground.