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UPDATED: First lake effect snow expected some time after Monday evening

By Howard B. Owens

The county's first lake effect snow of the season is predicted to hit between Monday evening and Wednesday morning.

Only one or two inches of snow accumulation are expected in the most persistent areas, but with wind, visibility could be down to a quarter mile at times.

Blowing and driving snow could make travel difficult.

Forecasters say there is some uncertainty at this time as to the timing and placement of heavy lake effect snow.

There is a storm watch in effect.

UPDATE 4:44 p.m.: The forecast has been upgraded to a lake effect snow warning, in effect from 5 p.m. Monday through 1 p.m. Wedneday. The weather service says to expect light to moderate snow tonight, followed by very heavy lake effect snow. Accumulations could total up to 6 inches. Winds, southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph, will result in near blizzard conditions at times. Visibility will be near zero at times later Monday and the morning commute is expected to be slippery and slow. Some roads may become nearly impassable.

Tim Howe

Just to back Larry and Nancy.....

From weather.com for Batavia:

* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW ACCUMULATING 1 TO 2 INCHES OVERNIGHT AND 2 TO 4 INCHES MONDAY LEADING TO TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES FROM THE GENERAL SNOW. LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF AROUND 2 FEET IN THE MOST PERSISTENT BANDS MONDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

Nov 16, 2014, 9:40pm Permalink
Raymond Richardson

From the National Weather Service website:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
417 AM EST MON NOV 17 2014

NYZ010>012-085-171730-
/O.CON.KBUF.LE.W.0011.141117T2200Z-141119T1800Z/
/O.CON.KBUF.WW.Y.0018.000000T0000Z-141117T2200Z/
NORTHERN ERIE-GENESEE-WYOMING-SOUTHERN ERIE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BUFFALO...BATAVIA...WARSAW...
ORCHARD PARK...SPRINGVILLE
417 AM EST MON NOV 17 2014

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EST THIS
AFTERNOON...
...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS
AFTERNOON TO 1 PM EST WEDNESDAY...

* LOCATIONS...ERIE...GENESEE...AND WYOMING COUNTIES INCLUDING
THE BUFFALO METRO AREA.

* TIMING...ADVISORY THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON. LAKE EFFECT SNOW
WARNING EARLY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* HAZARDS...HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS...ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW TODAY FOR A
GENERAL SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 3 TO 5 INCHES. LESSER AMOUNTS NEAR
THE SHORELINE AND BUFFALO METRO AREA. LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF
AROUND 2 FEET IN THE MOST PERSISTENT BANDS THIS EVENING THROUGH
WEDNESDAY.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY NIGHT RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW
WITH NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES.

* VISIBILITIES...AS LOW AS A HALF MILE IN THE GENERAL SNOW TODAY.
NEAR ZERO AT TIMES TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING IN LAKE
EFFECT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW.

* IMPACTS...THE GENERAL SNOWFALL MAY RESULT IN SNOW COVERED AND
SLIPPERY ROADS. THE MORNING COMMUTE TODAY MAY BE VERY SLIPPERY
AND SLOW IN SPOTS. INTENSE LAKE EFFECT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW
THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WILL RESULT IN VERY DIFFICULT
TRAVEL AT TIMES. SOME ROADS MAY BECOME NEARLY IMPASSABLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW THE WEATHER CAN VARY FROM LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW
IN NARROW BANDS TO CLEAR SKIES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IF YOU WILL
BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN
ROAD AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NORMALLY ISSUED FOR A VARIETY OF
WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS SUCH AS LIGHT SNOW. WHILE THE WEATHER
WILL BE SIGNIFICANT...THE WORD ADVISORY IMPLIES THAT SEVERE
WINTER WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

IF YOU LOSE POWER AND PLAN ON RUNNING A GENERATOR...MAKE SURE
THAT THE GENERATOR IS LOCATED OUTDOORS AND IS PROPERLY
VENTILATED. SPACE HEATERS SHOULD ALSO BE PROPERLY VENTILATED AND
USED ONLY IF THEY ARE OPERATING PROPERLY. MAKE SURE SNOW DOES NOT
BLOCK EXHAUSTS AND FRESH AIR INTAKES FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY FURNACES
AND WATER HEATERS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF
WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES. ADDITIONAL DETAILS
CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUFFALO.

Nov 17, 2014, 9:05am Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

You would hope that NOAA (a gov't agency, of course) might know what they were talking about, Raymond. But, apparently, their meteorologists spent so much time with their fingers held out windows (testing for air currents & wind-chill factors), that they failed miserably on geography lessons. How else would you account for them (NOAA) calling Warsaw and Springville cities?

Nov 17, 2014, 11:55am Permalink
Raymond Richardson

NFN Ed, Google, Yahoo Maps, as well as Mapquest also refer to Warsaw and Springville as cities.

So what's your point? The NOAA needs to change their listing? Gotchya! I'll send in a downsize of geographical location request form to them right away.

After all, we don't want idiots thinking something is bigger than it actually is.

Nov 18, 2014, 8:33am Permalink

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