snow

 Five-year old Andrew and two-year old Kate Ricupito didn't mind the storm Western New York was hit with today.

Here are the two youngsters enjoying some good old fashioned sledding at Centennial Park in Batavia.

Yeah, that's right... thunder snow. But more on that in a minute. It looks like this storm will hang on throughout the afternoon bringing more of the same, according to the National Weather Service out of Buffalo. Here's what the most recent weather statement has to say on the matter:

The steady moderate to heavy snow that was falling across the Niagara frontier will continue through the remainder of the afternoon... Expect snowfall rates to generally be around one inch per hour. There may be a brief period of heavier snow and thunder as a squall line develops and moves through the region between about 4:00 and 5:00pm. Snowfall for the remainder of the afternoon will be between 3 and 5 inches.

That's right, folks: thunder snow. For those of us south of the Thruway, it seems we'll see the weirdest of the weather, although the snow showers themselves "will be more scattered in nature." That almost sounds like relief, but...

Breaks of snow (will be) followed by brief heavy snowfall and possible thunder. Snowfall amounts will be highly variable this afternoon, with some locations receiving a quick 2 to 4 inches, while other locations receive less.

Winds, too, will be kicking along, gusting between 15 and 25 mph, causing blowing and drifting snow. Travel conditions will remain "hazardous" for the rest of the day. So stay off the road, if you can.

Here's how things look on the radar right now. Visit the Weather Channel online to get up-to-date radar views. From that site, you can see that the tip of the storm has just passed by Erie, Pennsylvania.

 I am surprised that in my 4-5 hours of driving I didn't find any cars off the road. But I did manage to find somebody that parked on Main St. Batavia that is probably going to have a difficult time getting out.

UPDATE (by Howard): Interesting, the Daily picked up on the same shot.

Try as they might, the city snowplows are having a difficult time keeping the roads clear. If you are driving on Main St. Batavia, it isn't too bad. But pretty much every side street gets filled with snow minutes after the plows have been through.

I'm not sure if it is good news or bad news, but it just came over the scanner that there is sleet starting to mix with the snow. This will limit the amount of blowing snow, but is going to potentially make it more slippery and make the snow that you have to shovel more heavy. 

DO NOT DRIVE ON COLLEGE ROAD TODAY!

I cannot stress this enough. I figured I would take the trip and attempt to get a photo of the college from the road. I couldn't go any faster than 5-10 miles per hour and literally couldn't see anything.

When I got close enough to the school, there was nothing but white. So I took a photo of my car in the middle of the road. Or, at least I think it was the middle.

When Eric Herrmann's shift ended at Graham Manufacturing, he called his wife Heather for a ride home. The problem was, the family vehicle was trapped in the driveway and was not going to move.

Unable to get a ride, Herrmann decided to take the walk to his Clinton Street home. I noticed what looked like a snowman walking, so I stopped and took his photo for The Batavian. And of course, I gave him a ride home so the poor guy didn't freeze to death.

See the Flickr set below.

[flickr-photoset:id=72157611419199732,size=m]

UPDATE (3:00pm): More pictures added!

Nothing stops the United States postal service.

Even with massive amounts of snow, the mail is still on its way. I would guess that some carriers might be a little behind schedule because of the conditions, but they are out there.

 As you drive around, all over the place, you are going to see a lot of people out there shoveling their driveway in an attempt to either get their car out, or fight off the massive amounts that will be on the ground within hours.

Here we see June Weinert of Walnut St. trying to get the snow cleared out so she can get her car out of the driveway.

This gentleman's name is Martin Cross and he's trying to stay ahead of the snow fall in his Law St. driveway.

WBTA has posted an MP3 audio interview with Tom Nizoil, chief meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo.  He says snow is falling at a rate of one- to-two inches per hour and that traffic conditions will remain treacherous throughout the day.

First post from the road. Haven't seen any accidents and nothing has come over the scanner yet, so that is a good thing. Based on this photo taken on Rt 63 in Alabama, it is strongly advised to stay at home.

There will be more updates from around Genesee County to follow.

Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle has posted a Google map studded with camera icons that each represent a traffic camera posted around the city of Rochester. Each camera refreshes the picture every few minutes. This is a useful service for folks commuting in and out of the city this morning and afternoon. Although, in the next hour or two, I imagine every camera will be showing about the same thing: white, and conditions around the city and on the roads back to Batavia should be about the same: crummy.

Oh yeah: Don't forget to check out our post from earlier this morning with a pair of live updating cameras posted at the Thruway interchanges with Route I-90 in Le Roy and Pembroke.

It is almost 8:30 a.m. and I am awake, which is a very rare thing.

The first somewhat heavy snow is starting to come down, so I'm going to go grab my camera and head out in a few minutes. My goals for today are to find out what is going on around town and update everybody on The Batavian.

Wish me luck and check back often for updates.

The National Weather Service has upgraded the winter storm watch to a warning. Expected snow accumulation totals have also been increased. Here's the complete warning:

Heavy snow will result in very difficult travel conditions Friday. Snow is expected to develop Friday morning. The snow will become heavy at times from midday through late afternoon with snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour likely. The snow is expected to taper off Friday evening.

Storm total snowfall amounts are expected to reach six to nine inches during the day Friday with additional minor accumulations possible Friday evening. In addition to heavy snow, northeast winds will increase into the 15 to 25 mph range Friday afternoon and evening with gusts up to 30 mph. The winds may gust as high as 40 mph near the Lake Ontario shore. This will result in blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas.

Travel conditions will deteriorate rapidly on Friday. Motorists should anticipate snow-covered roads and very difficult driving conditions. A winter storm warning is issued when severe winter weather is expected. If you will be traveling in the warning area you should choose an alternate route if possible, or you should use extreme caution if travel is unavoidable.

So, we keep hearing warnings: Lots of snow heading our way.

First, we encourage you to be safe, but if you do happen to stick your head outside and snap a picture, post it to The Batavian.  Or video. Or tell your storm-related story on the site. Let your Genessee County neighbors know how the storm is affecting your part of the community.

A winter storm watch has been issued for our region starting tonight and extending through the day Friday. More than six inches of snow are expected to fall during the day Friday. The National Weather Service expects the storm to arrive tonight, although the snow should not become significant until mid-morning tomorrow. We could see some heavy snowfall through the late morning into the afternoon, "especially for areas south of a line from Buffalo to Batavia." That should taper off by the early evening.

Expect some snow showers to begin some time around 7 o'clock this evening. WBTA's Dan Fischer warns us of a National Weather Service advisory for tonight that should last until about noon tomorrow. What will start out as light snow in the Southern Tier and spread throughout the region will develop into a mix of snow and sleet in the morning hours. All told, expect between four to six inches of accumulation by tomorrow afternoon.

In other news, Indian tribes across the state are threatening legal action following Gov. David Paterson's move to start collecting taxes on cigarettes sold by Indian retailers. Barry Snyder, who heads up the Seneca Nation, said that he plans to "revisit every aspect of the nation's relationship to the state." Fischer thinks that might be a thinly veiled threat that the Seneca Nation will rethink its revenue sharing deal between the casinos and the state.

I looked out my window a few minutes ago and was surprised to see that snow covered the cars in the parking lot. This morning's weather forecast hinted to snow mixed with rain, but not enough to accumulate. The winds carrying that cold air over the warm lakes should have been the first clue that we would see more than a dusting. I don't think I'll ever get over the thrill of the first snow. It seems to waken some primative need to stock the larder and bring out the heavier comforters and quilts for the bed. I wonder if others have this same urge. So today was a day to make apple butter; Harvard beets; roasted yam with roasted apples and corn relish. All staples that will hold over the winter. The apple butter is spiked with a good shot of maple syrup. The beets rest in a thick sweet sauce. The corn relish offers a blend of sweet and sour that is delicious on crackers for a snack or used as the base for sweet and sour chicken over rice and other recipes. The combination of roasted yams and roasted apples laced with brown sugar, butter, and apple pie spice freezes well. It makes a great side dish or a super stuffing for acorn squash. This is a dish that should be made when no one else is about. I find that friends like to spoon it on crackers and eat it as a snack. I put the light comforters away today. The heavier quilts now rest on the bed. Most likely, for the next few nights, I'll just kick them off because it will be too hot. But, it is nice to know they are there when needed.