weather

A high wind watch issued by the National Weather Service has been upgraded to a high storm warning, in effect from 1 p.m. Monday to 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Winds in Genesee County are forecast to be 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. This could bring down some trees and power lines, resulting in scattered power outages.

Due to melting snow, unfrozen and saturated ground will make it easier for some trees to topple, especially shallow-rooted pines.

These winds wil also make travel difficult for high-profile vehicles. Outdoor holiday decorations could be damaged as well as other outdoor items such as trash cans and they could be blown away.

Power outages could cause additional concern for those whose basements tend to flood because sump pumps won't work without electricity.

There is a high wind watch in place for Monday morning through Monday night. Winds from the southwest of 25 to 35 mph expected with gusts up to 60 mph. Possible impacts include trees down and power lines down. Travel could be difficult for high profile vehicles. Holiday decorations and loose outdoor items, such as trash cans, could be blown away. Scattered power outages are possible.

A flood watch, the result of melting snow, remains in effect from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning.

UPDATE 5 p.m.: The flood watch has been upgraded to a flood warning through 4:15 p.m., Monday.

A high of 60 degrees is predicted for Monday. A high of 37 degrees with snow is predicted for Tuesday.

From UMMC: "The blood drive scheduled for Monday, November 24th has been cancelled by the Red Cross. Their mobile unit requires repairs and the necessary parts are undeliverable from Buffalo due to the recent storm."  The blood drive will be rescheduled to a date in January.

Tim Adams sent in these three photos of pumps and hoses loaded and ready for transport to Lackawanna to assist with anticipated flooding clean-up. The equipment is from Godwin Pumps (Xylem). Making the trip from Batavia are Steve Wenzka, Steve Carmichael, Todd Palmer, Dan Judd, Herb Schroeder and Adams.

The Batavian's news partner 13WHAM has a story about anticipated flooding in Genesee County.

Top photo, members of the Oakfield Fire Department assist the Alexander Fire Department in clearing snow from the rec hall in Alexander (photo submitted by Jeff Christensen).

Six special rescue trucks from the New York City Fire Department, part of a special task force, were at the Home Depot in Batavia today on their way to Buffalo. The trucks were specifically designed and built for high-water rescues following Hurricane Sandy. The trucks were sent to WNY in anticipation of flooding Monday with warmer weather, rain and snow melt. The vehicles can carry up to 16 people each through high water. (Photos submitted by Steve Hynes Fisher)

Some coverage from The Batavian's news partner, 13WHAM:

• Cleaning up snow in Genesee County
• Roof collapses becoming a concern

The Thruway Authority announced the I-90 has reopened.

Press release:

Motorists should be aware of the following restrictions:

• Thruway (I-90) between Exit 50A (Cleveland Drive) and Exit 61 (Ripley – Pennsylvania state line) will be limited to essential travel only, including travel needed to exit the region, deliver necessary supplies, and remove snow. In this section, all exits are open wherever localities have lifted travel bans.

The following exits remain closed to traffic exiting from the Thruway, although traffic is permitted to enter at these locations:

• Exit 56 (Blasdell -- Orchard Park -- Mile Strip Road -- NY Route 179)
• Exit 57 (Hamburg -- East Aurora -- NY Route 75)
• Exit 57A (Eden --  Angola)
• Exit 58 (Silver Creek -- Irving -- NY Routes 5, 20 & 438)
• I-190 (Niagara Thruway) is open, but there is no access to Exit 1 (South Ogden) through Exit 5 (Hamburg – Louisiana).

The Town of Darien office is closed until 9 a.m., Monday.

Photo -- Steve Ferry digging out the Bartlett residence in Darien:

John Brown's car in Alexander this morning:

If all had gone according to plan, today would be the last day of leaf pickup in the city, but the recent snow storms have made leaf clean up impossible.

Many residents probably still had leaves on some trees when the first storm hit.

City Manager Jason Molino said if warmer weather and snow melt permits, the city may reschedule a period of leaf pickup around the city, but officials won't be able to make that determination, at the earliest, until after this weekend.

Press release:

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for the City of Batavia and Genesee County from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning, Nov. 23-26.

Two significant lake effect snow events this week have brought deep snowpack across the area. This snowpack stores a large quantity of water, and a warming trend begins early this weekend. By Saturday afternoon, air temperatures will remain above freezing through Tuesday night. Daytime highs will rise to near 50 F degrees on Sunday and near 60 F degrees on Monday.

At first the snowpack is expected to absorb much of the water from the snow melt. However as the snowpack ripens, and with the addition of a half inch of rainfall expected Sunday night and Monday, the potential for flooding will rapidly increase.

Recommended precautions/preparedness actions for Batavia residents:

• Monitor forecasts for the latest alerts;
• Make sure sump pumps are turned on and are functioning;
• For those living in low-lying areas or near areas prone to flooding, move the items in your basement up off the floor;
• Don't drive in standing water or flooded streets;
• Do not drive beyond barricades that indicate a street is closed;
• Please help the City keep the storm drains free from debris. Many leaves were in the streets awaiting pick up prior to the snow storm. As the snow melts, these leaves will move toward storm drains and block drainage capability. THIS WILL CAUSE STREET FLOODING. City workers will be out clearing drains throughout the melting period, and the CITY IS ASKING ALL RESIDENTS TO rake leaves and debris away from the storm drains throughout the melting period. Please help neighbors who are out of town or unable to perform this task;
• In an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Press release:

Following two significant snow events this week, the National Weather Service is predicting a warming trend over the weekend and into early next week that will result in major water runoff as the snowpack melts.

FLOODING

Flooding can be expected in flood-prone areas. Based on rising temperatures the resulting water run off can be expected to be between four to six inches. Basement flooding will likely occur including some areas that have not previously experienced such flooding. It is recommended that you consider moving items stored in basements to higher levels to prevent water damage.

Be alert for water in underpasses that can collect as storm sewers reach capacity. Do not drive through any standing water on roadways as vehicles may become stalled in high water, leaving the operator and passengers stranded. Also be careful if you must walk through flooded areas. As little as six inches of moving water can result in a fall.

COLLAPSE DANGER

Heavy snow pack on building roofs presents the danger of roof collapse. If you hear strange noises such as creaks and groans in your home, it is recommended that you leave the building for a safe location and notify 9-1-1. Do not enter property you suspect may be in danger of collapse. Property owners should be vigilant of the snow load and if practical, efforts should be made to remove excessive snow from building roofs to reduce the weight.

STORM-RELATED HEALTH ISSUES

Throughout this snow and flooding event, it is important to not overexert. The snowpack is heavy with accumulated water and difficult to remove even with power equipment such as a snow blower. Older people particularly should consider a snow removal contractor to clean driveways and assist with removing snow from heavily loaded roofs.

Check exhausts from furnaces, hot water tanks and other fuel burning appliances to be sure they are clear of snow or other blockage. When blocked, carbon monoxide fumes can back up into dwellings resulting in the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. Remember carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas. 

If you exhibit symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as headache, dizziness, nausea, flu-like symptoms or fatigue, impaired judgment, chest pains or confusion, dial 9-1-1 immediately for assistance.

Press release:

Effective immediately, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office is lifting the Travel Advisory for the towns of Darien, Alexander, Bethany and Pavilion.

At this time, there are no travel advisories or travel bans in Genesee County.

From the National Weather Service:

...FLOODING POSSIBLE EARLY NEXT WEEK... TWO SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS THIS WEEK HAVE BROUGHT A VERY DEEP SNOWPACK ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN NEW YORK. THIS SNOWPACK NOW STORES A LARGE QUANTITY OF WATER. AFTER THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW ENDS...A WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED TO START EARLY THIS WEEKEND. BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AIR TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. DAYTIME HIGHS WILL RISE TO NEAR 50 F DEGREES ON SUNDAY...AND NEAR 60 F DEGREES ON MONDAY. IN ADDITION TO THE WARMING AIR TEMPERATURES...A SOUTHERLY BREEZE AND RISING DEW POINTS WILL MAKE FOR A MORE EFFICIENT MELTING OF THE SNOWPACK.

AT FIRST THE SNOWPACK WILL ABSORB MUCH OF THE WATER FROM THE SNOW MELT. HOWEVER AS THE SNOWPACK RIPENS...AND WITH THE ADDITION OF A HALF INCH OR SO OF RAINFALL SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE.

PEOPLE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING...AND WHERE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW FELL SHOULD TAKE TIME IN ADVANCE OF THE WARMING TO PREPARE FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING EARLY NEXT WEEK. IN ADDITION TO CREEKS AND SMALL STREAMS FLOODING THEIR BANKS...WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ACROSS TOWNS WHERE SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW FELL.

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WATCH FOR A PORTION OF WESTERN NEW YORK...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...GENESEE...NORTHERN ERIE...SOUTHERN ERIE AND WYOMING. THIS ESPECIALLY INCLUDES THE BUFFALO METRO AREA.

* FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* SNOW MELT FROM THE RECENT SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS COMBINED WITH RAINFALL EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING.

* SMALLER STREAMS AND CREEKS WILL BE PRONE TO FLOODING FROM SNOW MELT. THIS WILL INCLUDE THE CREEKS THAT FLOW THROUGH THE BUFFALO METRO AREA. TOWNS THAT RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW WILL ALSO HAVE POTENTIAL FOR URBAN FLOODING FROM THE SNOW MELT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP. STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER RADIO AND TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

Bernie Thompson and Steve Ognibene face off in a Southside snow blower battle. (Submitted by Steve Ognibene)

Below are some pictures from Le Roy from Rob Radley.

Finally, with perhaps too much time on his hands while snowed in, Bob Trombley rewrote the lyrics to Simon and Garfunkel's "America."

Let us be Eskimos, we'll build our igloos together/ I've got some hand warmers here in my bag.

So we bought pack of rock salt and tops store made pies and walked off to look for Batavia. "Snovember" I said, as we snowboarded along the way in Oakfield, Corfu seems like a dream to me now.

It took me 4 days to clear off my windshield "I've come to look for Batavia."

Laughing in our igloos, playing games with the muckdogs, she said the man in the snow suit was a good guy.

I said "be careful, his snow plow is really buried."

"Toss me a shovel, I think there's one on my front step." We broke the last one an hour ago."

So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine; and the snow fell over an open field. "Kathy, they're lost" I said as the news trucks were live streaming. "Facebook and Twitter are hashtagging silly snow names and I don't know why."

Counting the cars on the New York State Thruway, they've all come to look for Batavia, all come to look for Batavia, all come to look for Batavia.

Local photographer Steve Ognibene shared these pictures with of some snow scenes in Batavia today.

A travel advisory has been issued for Darien, Alexander, Bethany and Pavilion.

The Sheriff's Office advises against unnecessary travel in those areas of the county due to poor driving conditions

There is heavy snow, poor visibility and poor driving conditions.

Also, Route 63 into Pavilion is closed.

Wyoming County is also being hit hard by snow. Trucks are off the road in a couple of locations. The plows haven't been able to keep up in the Village of Attica.  

So, if you were thinking of traveling south, think again.

UPDATE 5:33 p.m.: Route 19 southbound is closed in Le Roy at Robbins Road. Routes 19, 63 and 20 are described as "a parking lot" with cars and trucks unable to move.

UPDATE: Both Route 63 and Route 19 have reopened. The travel advisory is still in effect, however.

Press release from the Sheriff's Office:

Some news agencies are still reporting travel bans/advisories in Genesee County. At this time there are NO travel bans or advisories in Genesee County.

The previous bans in the Town of Pembroke, Village of Corfu and the towns of Darien, Alexander, Bethany, Pavilion and Le Roy have all been lifted as per the previous releases from the Sheriff.

What we've received so far:

• Darien Town Court
• State offices in Genesee County
• Pembroke Central School District
• Oakfield-Alabama Central Schools
• Batavia City Schools
• Alexander Central School
• GCC, Batavia campus
• Byron-Bergen Central Schools
• Elba Central School District
• Notre Dame and St. Joe's
• Grandma’s Luv’n Care Daycare
• Genesee Christian Academy
• Le Roy Central Schools
• Pavilion Central Schools
• Alexander Central Schools
• Pembroke Family Medicene, all three locations, will open at noon today
• Love Bugs Preschool
• Batavia Pediatrics will open at noon
• Continental School of Beauty
• Women's Care Center is opening at 1 p.m.
• The Cello Fury concert at GCC will be rescheduled
• Optique
• Genesee Association of Municipalities meeting in Oakfield is cancelled
• Genesee County courts are OPEN today. Jurors should report.
• City of Batavia Yard Waste Station, closed through the weekend
• Batavia Assembly of God Church
• Choir practice at First Presbyterian, Batavia
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Tonight's EMS class is cancelled, but the Mutual Aid Advisory board will meet as scheduled at the Fire Training Center.

E-mail closures and cancellations to howard@thebatavian.com. Ideally before 8 a.m.

E-mail weather pictures to howard@thebatavian.com

Snow safety advice from the National Weather Service:

Moving all this snow can be dangerous. Here are some precautions.

Do not overexert yourself...shoveling or even walking in the heavy snow is extremely taxing. Take plenty of breaks to avoid overexerting yourself.

Overstressed roofs can collapse. Snow removal off structures is a dangerous activity that should only be done by qualified individuals following safety protocols to minimize risks. If at any time there is a concern that snow loads may cause a collapse...evacuate the building. Signs of overstressed roofs may include sagging tiles or boards. Popping, cracking or creaking sounds also signal significant danger.

Travel safety -- many roads are still in extremely poor condition or are impassible. Heed local, regional and other emergency travel bans. Take the time now and place a winter safety kit in your car. Items include but are not limited to: a fully charged cell phone, blankets, flashlight, knife, non-perishable food, clothing, and a shovel.

Clear snow from high efficiency furnace pipes, snow covering furnace pipes can lead to carbon monoxide build up in your home. Ensure carbon monoxide detectors have fresh batteries and are working properly.

Generator safety -- if you are relying on a generator for power make sure the generator is located away from the house and not in an enclosed space. Running a generator indoors can lead to a build of harmful gases in your home.

Space heater safety -- space heaters should also be properly ventilated and used only if they are operating properly.

From the National Weather Service:

Two photos above from Danyell Selapack.

Jimmy Sheflin says Brix loves the snow.

Corfu

Trucks at Tops last night. Submitted by Greg Rada.

Submitted by Nate Fix. His dad's place (Bernie Fix) in Corfu.

Here are some shots of how things looked in Darien this morning after the town received several feet of snow over the previous 24 hours.

Crews and trucks were brought in from Wyoming and Livingston counties to assist the town, county and state drivers and equipment.

And residents were finding any way they could just to clear a path from their front door to the street, such as the Klug family on Sumner Road (top photo). They are, from back, Frank, Jessica, Dawn and Val.

Frank said he just wanted to clear a walking path in case of an emergency. He wasn't even worrying about getting the driveway clear for the four cars buried in the snow.

On Route 20, Austin Heberlein, standing, was lending a hand to his father Mark and brother Zach (neither are pictured) as they tried to extricate his mother's car out of a snow bank.

A state DOT snow blower on Route 20 in Alexander. There were even bigger snow blower trucks brought in, but we didn't get to see one of those in action (in the slide show is a picture of one, however).

The view northbound on Harlow Road.

Close to two hours after the top photo was taken, this plow was finally reaching the south end of Harlow Road.

Digging out on Fargo Road.

It wasn't all work in Darien this morning. Micheal and Tucker Pfenninger had great fun playing on the giant mound of snow Dad made in the process of clearing the driveway of their Fargo Road home.

A Livingston County snow blower on Bell Road.

Residents blowing snow at a home at Sumner Road and Route 77.

A resident tries to build a path from his home to the street on Sumner Road. When I came back nearly an hour later, he hadn't made much more progress.

Taken on Route 98, Alexander. There additional scenic shots in the slide show.

To purchase prints, click here.

Here's some video from today from The Batavian's news partner, 13WHAM

Oops, I can't embed video and embed a slide show in the same post. Click here to view the 13WHAM video.

A convoy of 30 DOT plow trucks pulled into Genesee County today, coming down Route 19 to Route 5 in Le Roy and then stopping at the DOT facility on West Main Street Road, Stafford.

The stop is a staging area before heading further west into Erie County.

While the roads have been cleared in Darien, there's still a lot of work to be done in Erie County, and more snow is expected tonight.

UPDATE: A total of 199 trucks are staging in Stafford, coming from all over the state, mostly locations to the east. Drivers are being housed in local hotels while awaiting assignments, primarily in Erie County.

I spent all morning in Darien and will have pictures to post later, but there's something else I need to go cover now.

Weather report from Mark McLean, weatherman for 13WHAM, The Batavian's news partner:

Ultimate Doppler HD shows that the intense lake snow band from Lake Erie is weakening and drifting to the north shore of the lake. This is away from the areas that got buried yesterday. Also note on the wider view that another storm system is headed our way now. This storm will deliver a general light snow in WNY late this afternoon and this evening.

Check out the snow accumulation on the futurecast. Snow amounts will be generally light with this afternoon’s storm system. A coating-2” will be possible by late evening in WNY. Much heavier snow will develop overnight southwest of Rochester once more as lake snow from Lake Erie cranks up again. Several feet of snow will be possible in sustained lake snow areas in Genesee and Wyoming counties tonight and Thursday with a solid 3-6” possible in northern Livingston County as well.

Currently it’s frigid in WNY. Many areas have temperatures in the upper teens or low 20s with single digit wind chills and that noticeable wind out of the south. Local spotters show temperatures in the low 20s at this point. The neighborhood forecast shows the light snow moving in late this afternoon, but the temperature won’t fall. We’ll see the readings stay in the mid-20s throughout the night. On the wider view, the futurecast finally shows this intense lake snow band breaking up early Friday morning southwest of Rochester. Closer to Rochester some lake snow from Lake Ontario will be possible Friday, but this snow will be much less intense than the snow observed in Buffalo yesterday.

The forecast for today shows increasing clouds at 3 p.m. with a temperature near 24 in Rochester. By 7 tonight we expect some snow showers. The temperature will be in the mid-20s. At 10pm the general light snow will taper, most areas will see a coating -2” of snow. Tonight’s low will be in the mid-20s with snow showers and flurries near Rochester. Areas south of the Thruway may find up to 12” of snow by sunrise, especially in Genesee and Wyoming counties.

The 7-day forecast does show some slow improvement by the weekend. Any lake effect snow Friday will taper heading into Saturday. Friday’s high will be near 30 with Saturday’s high near 40. A few rain showers will move in for Sunday and Monday, but the temperature will be dramatically warmer. Sunday’s high will be near 50 with Monday reaching 57. All signs point to another substantially colder air mass moving in for mid-late of next week.