weather

Dispatchers and first responders have been kept busy overnight and into the morning with reports of power lines down and cars off the roadway as a windstorm hit Genesee County with gusts up to 60 mph and temperatures below freezing.

No serious incidents were reported.

Currently, there are at least 17 known power outages across the county, affecting some 300 National Grid customers. The two largest appear to be in Byron with 171 customers without power and North Bergen with 57 customers without power.

There were two jackknifed trucks on the I-490, including one incident still ongoing with no injuries but a fuel leak is reported.

Windstorms and false alarms of fire at commercial structures seem to go hand-in-hand and at one point around 2 a.m., City of Batavia had three such simultaneous calls.

Several cars are reportedly off the road and travel on Route 63 through Pavilion has become difficult.

Fire police have been dispatched to Route 63 and Route 20, and Route 63 and Route 19 to shut down traffic in the area.

Multiple deputies have responded to assist motorists.

UPDATE (By Billie) 7:24 p.m.: A stranded semi has been removed and a heavy tow is hooking up a bus for removal now. DOT workers are expected soon. The roadway remains closed.

UPDATE: 9:20 p.m.: We just confirmed that Route 63 is now open to thru traffic.

A brief burst of heavy snow is heading toward Genesee County, according to the National Weather Service.

The snow is expected midmorning.

Snow accumulation could be about an inch, falling within about a 45 minute time period.

Expect slippery roadways and fast accumulation on recently cleared surfaces.

"Motorists should slow down and allow some extra time to reach their destination through mid morning," the weather service advises.

Just issued:

A Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service in Buffalo:

"...A DANGEROUS SNOW SQUALL WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE NIAGARA FRONTIER THIS EVENING... 

At 6:10 p.m. EST, a dangerous snow squall was intensifying as it moved south of Lake Ontario and into northern portions of the Niagara Frontier. This area of snow will slowly move south between 6 and 8 p.m. and affect most of at least northern sections of Niagara and Genesee counties and all of Orleans County east toward the Rochester Metro area.

Some bursts of heavy snow will begin to affect portions of I-90 from about the Pembroke exit east toward Route-490 by 8 p.m.

Expect localized blizzard conditions, including whiteouts, with blowing and drifting snow from wind gusts approaching 50 mph. 

Locations impacted include...Batavia, Le Roy and Byron.

This includes the following highways:
Route 390 near exit 11; 
Interstate 90 between exits 48 and 47.

If you have a weather photo you want to share with the community, email it to howard@thebatavian.com.

The first two are from Brandi Kaplun.

From Michael Dirham at Z&M Ag & Turf in Oakfield.

Closings and cancellations for Thursday, Dec. 15:

• Message from Mark Alexander, superintendent of Oakfield-Alabama Central School District: "Due to our current and anticipated weather conditions school will be closing today. Elementary students will not be picked up and middle/high students will be bused home as soon as possible. I apologize for the late notice, but the conditions are not expected to improve."

Email closings and cancellations to howard@thebatavian.com

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office has issued a travel advisory for all of Genesee County. Current and forecasted weather conditions consisting of steady snow, along with strong winds, have caused whiteout conditions that have contributed to numerous motor vehicle accidents and stranded vehicles on roadways. Motorists are strongly encouraged to avoid any unnecessary travel until weather conditions subside.

Undersheriff William A. Sheron, Jr.

UPDATE: The travel advisory was lifted at 2 a.m.

A full-on winter storm has hit Genesee County with bitter cold and heavy snow.

Top photo, Jackson Street.

Send your snow storm photos to howard@thebatavian.com.

Cornell Cooperative Extension on East Main.

Jackson Street.

Email cancellations and schedule changes to howard@thebatavian.com.

• Oakfield-Alabama Central School District has canceled school and evening activities.
• The Genesee County Animal Shelter is closed this evening due to weather.
• All afternoon and evening activity is canceled with Batavia City Schools.
• St. Joe's Evening Christmas for tonight is canceled. It is rescheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 20^th at 6:30 p.m.
• Pavilion Central School District has canceled school and evening activities due to weather.

Temperatures tonight are expected to dip as low as 10 degrees, and in each of the past two winters, a group of volunteers has created a warming shelter for anyone who might need a warm bed for a night like this, but this year, shelter will be provided on a case-by-case basis.

Last year, a local church provided the shelter, but a church secretary referred us to the Salvation Army and the Salvation Army referred us to Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator for Genesee County.

Yaeger said he and officials at the Salvation Army discussed options and the best course -- given the low demand for beds in cold weather locally, and with limited staff available -- is to respond to requests for shelter rather than keep a shelter open all night.

If anybody finds themselves without shelter at night, they should either call emergency dispatch or go to the nearest fire hall. That will trigger officials to contact the Salvation Army to assist that person or group of people with finding a safe place for the night. 

The local Salvation Army doesn't have the staff available to specifically keep a shelter open all night, but staff is always on call and available to assist anybody with an urgent need for shelter, Yaeger said. 

During the weekdays, the Salvation Army at 529 E. Main St., Batavia, is open for anybody who needs assistance.

In the past, the shelters have been barely used, if used at all. People living in the area who may lack permanent housing seem to be able to find a friend or family member to stay with in cold weather.

There is a lake effect snow watch in effect now until 1 a.m., Thursday. Storm totals of 5 to 10 inches of snow are expected in the region. Winds will reportedly be 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, creating blowing and drifting snow and low visibility.

From 5 to 9 inches of snow is expected to hit the area on Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a lake effect snow watch starting Wednesday afternoon and lasting into the night.

Winds will blow at 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph, producing significant blowing and drifting snow.

Hazardous travel conditions are predicted.

The forecast confidence is rated as medium. 

"There remains some uncertainty with respect to the intensity of the lake effect snow band," the weather service said.

A winter storm advisory has been issued for Genesee County this afternoon, starting at 1 p.m. and lasting until 7 a.m.

Snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches are expected.

Batavia may be in the path of a lake effect snowstorm that will contain bands that drop as much as two inches of snow an hour, according to the National Weather Service.

A special weather statement has been issued for Western New York alerting residents of the potential heavy snow falling on parts of the region.

Snowfall of at least one to two inches per hour is expected.

The weather service advises, "be prepared for rapidly changing travel conditions."

Also mentioned in the statement as potential areas for heavy snowfall: Le Roy, Pavilion and Byron.

This animation from ECMWF shows the projection for ultra-cold air (the dark blue/green areas) associated with a polar vortex rotating into the United States.

This could lead to much colder temperatures over the next 10 to 15 days, forecasters say.

Potentially good news for us, the cold air is expected to moderate somewhat as it shifts eastward.

Mashable has more on the the projections.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for Genesee County starting at 6 p.m. and lasting until 10 a.m. because the National Weather Service expects freezing rain to hit the region.

Winds will be from the southeast at 10 to 20 mph.

Extremely slippery conditions on roadways and sidewalks are expected. Caution is advised.

There continue to be numerous vehicles off of the roadway today.  Drivers need to adjust their speeds to conditions.  Although many roads are treated and have wet pavement, there will be areas where the wind is blowing snow onto the road.  Slow down before attempting to drive through these areas.  Do not step on your brakes within the area that is filled in with blown snow.  This will cause you to lose control.

Additionally, due to a combination of warm ground temperatures, cold air temperatures, and wind there may be areas of black ice.  The occurrence of black ice usually increases towards the evening and overnight. 

Drivers need to adjust their driving to accommodate unknown winter conditions.  Give yourself more time and drive defensively.  Putting your car in a ditch, rolling your vehicle, or impacting another vehicle or a fixed object such as a pole or tree not only puts you and your passengers at risk, but it also puts first responders at risk as well.

Editor's Note: Originally submitted at 2:20 p.m.

A lake effect snow warning has been issued and is in effect until 4 a.m., Tuesday.

The storm will bring from three to five inches of snow today, but mainly over eastern Monroe and northern Ontario counties. 

Winds will be 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, causing blowing and driving snow.

We've had a few hours now of steady, lake effect snow with a brisk wind, but accumulations are a couple of inches at best. A lake effect snow advisory remains in effect through tomorrow.

UPDATE 6:45 p.m.: A lake effect snow warning is now in effect for Genesee County. A band of lake effect snow is expected to drop snow at a rate of one to two inches an hour. No ETA for when the warning will be lifted or what the total storm accumulation might be.

A lake effect snow advisory has been issued starting at 1 a.m. and lasting until 7 p.m., Monday.

The region for the possible snowstorm includes Genesee County.

From two to four inches of snow are possible on Sunday and a storm total of three to six inches is predicted.

Winds will be 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45, creating blowing and drifting snow.

Travel precautions are advised.

A wind advisory is in effect from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The strongest winds are expected late this afternoon.

Winds will be from the southwest at 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.