NEWS Icy weather leads to multiple crashes early Thursday | News

The National Weather Service in Buffalo issued its winter weather forecast Wednesday, which is expected to last until 7 p.m. tonight. The winter storm watch is in place through Tuesday night.

In Cattaraugus County, expect 1 to 3 inches of additional snow and about two-tenths of an inch of ice with wind gusts up to 45 mph.

Olean City School District buildings remained open Thursday during regular school hours, but after-school activities were canceled, including the middle school winter concert for band and choir.

The Allegany-Limestone Central School District called for snow Thursday, closed all buildings and plans to resume classes Friday.

The Portville Central School District also closed its buildings on Thursday due to snow and plans to reopen on Friday. The High School Holiday Concert has been rescheduled for Monday.

The Hinsdale Central School District held classes as usual Thursday, but canceled all after-school activities for that night.

For winter storm watches, severe lake effects are possible with snowfall totaling 9 inches or more in the most persistent lake snowpacks.

The Bureau of Meteorology is advising commuters to plan for hazardous road conditions that could affect morning and evening commutes. Gusty winds could knock down tree branches, causing localized power outages. Traveling in the area’s lake snow could prove difficult later this weekend.

Drivers are advised to slow down and exercise caution on the road due to slippery roads and limited visibility due to snow, sleet or freezing rain. A narrow band of heavy snow could affect parts of the region, with localized travel issues likely this weekend and early next week.

Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed state emergency response assets to areas expected to receive a foot or more of snow between Thursday and Saturday.

The storm is expected to bring up to 12 to 18 inches of snow in parts of the Northland, Mohawk Valley and Capital Region through Saturday, with peaks of 1 to 2 inches per hour Thursday night through Friday.

Much of the state is expected to see at least a few inches of snow from the storm. Much of Western New York and the Finger Lakes region saw a mix of snow, rain and ice on Thursday.

Hochul urged New Yorkers to avoid any non-essential travel.