NEWS

Rochester weather: 11 to 22 inches of snow possible by Wednesday night

Victoria E. Freile
@vfreile
  • Cuomo declares statewide state of emergency beginning at midnight
  • Snow will be wetter and heavier than typical lake-effect snow, says National Weather Service
  • Officials in Irondequoit and Greece work to clear debris from windstorm before the storm hits
In this file photo, a pedestrian crosses Lake Road in Irondequoit past a partially snow-covered pedestrian sign.

Update 12:41 a.m.: Mayor Lovely Warren is reminding Rochester residents of the following:

• PlowTrax, the City’s snow plow tracker application, will be up and running, so residents can check our plowing progress in real time. Plows will be able to do their job faster if residents give them plenty of space to do their jobs. For more: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/plowtrax/

• Strictly observe alternate side parking regulations to allow our plows clear passage.

• Monitor the news for travel advisories, closures and cancellations.

• While the storm warning is in effect, it is strongly advised that residents avoid unnecessary travel. If you do need to be on the roads, please give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go, drive carefully, and be safe.

• Please keep your sidewalk clear in front of your property. While the city does provide a sidewalk plowing service during heavy snow, we rely on our residents to keep their walks clear so pedestrians can have clear passage.

• When snow has accumulated, place your refuse and recycling containers at the edge of your driveway or on a shoveled path. Do not put them on top of snow banks or in the street or sidewalk.

• RG&E is working to restore power from the windstorm. The shelter at the Gantt R-Center will remain open.

• Please keep your fire hydrants clear in the event of an emergency.

• Bring your pets inside.

• Stay safe by making sure you have enough gas, food and warm clothes and blankets in preparation for the storm. Residents should also consider having a communication plan for families and loved ones, especially the sick and elderly in order to decide on how to contact one another and what to do in case of an emergency.

• Please remember that shoveling or plowing snow from private property onto sidewalks, roads or fire hydrants is illegal.

Update 12:26 a.m.: The College at Brockport, Monroe Community College, Finger Lakes Community College and Genesee Community College will be closed Tuesday.

Update 11:30 p.m.: The Brockport, Byron-Bergen, Caledonia-Mumford, Churchville-Chili, Gates Chili, East Irondequoit, West Irondequoit, Le Roy, Rochester, Spencerport and Wheatland-Chili districts will be closed.  McQuaid, Bishop Kearney and Aquinas also will closed.

Update 9 p.m.: The Avon, Greece and Hilton school districts will be closed Tuesday due to the snowstorm.

As crews continue to clear away downed trees, poles and other debris and restore power to thousands still in the dark, much of Western New York is bracing for a potential nor'easter that could blanket lakeside communities with nearly 2 feet of snow.

According to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, 11 to 22 inches will cover Monroe, Orleans and Wayne counties by Wednesday night.  Up to 18 inches of snow is expected to fall in Ontario, Genesee and Livingston counties. A winter storm warning is in effect for all of western New York, starting at 8 p.m. Monday.

"A majority of the snow will fall tomorrow during the day," said weather service Meteorologist Steve Welch. "It'll be a widespread snowfall closer to the lake, followed by lake-enhanced snow on Wednesday."

Expected snow will also be a "wetter, heavier" snow than your typical lake-effect snow, Welch said.

Light snow is expected to start falling Monday afternoon, before picking up Monday evening, he said.

"It could get heavier overnight, but will stay persistent, consistent on Tuesday with periods of heavier snow during the day," he said.

The storm is predicted to bring heavy and blowing snow, with up to 22 inches in some areas. Wind speeds will range between 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph possible and poor visibility (down to a half-mile) on area roadways is likely.

"It will be spread out over 36-48 hours, so we're not looking at anything too crazy as far as heavy periods of snowfall," Welch said. That should help make for manageable road conditions, he said, but that depends on communities' salting and snow-clearing plans.

Already, several flights have been canceled and delayed at the Greater Rochester International Airport because of the storm.

Monday afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for all of New York state beginning at midnight. Non-essential state employees are asked to stay home, according to Cuomo's Twitter account.

Brett Walsh, Monroe County's communications director, said all Monroe County towns "are moving into snow preparation efforts," as crews prepare to salt and plow local roads. Wind storm cleanup efforts will be on hold for many towns until the predicted snowstorm has passed, he said.

The county's Emergency Communications Department will remain active to stay prepared for the storm, Walsh said.

"Twenty-two inches of snow sounds pretty intimidating right now," said Irondequoit Supervisor Dave Seeley. The lakeside town was among the hardest hit in last week's windstorm, but said the town would be ready for the coming snowstorm.

Seeley said Irondequoit's Department of Public Works employees worked the past few days to clear branches from Irondequoit roads and sidewalks to ensure clear paths for plow operators. By Monday afternoon, town crews started to transition to plowing efforts.

Many trees and limbs in Irondequoit continue to lean on or near utility lines near collapse that have not yet caused a power outage, Seeley said. But he's concerned that predicted wet snow could be too much for the compromised trees. The town, he said, is preparing for more outages as a result of the snow.

Until the first snowflakes fly on Monday, public works crews in Greece are working to collect debris from last week's windstorm "to get it off the roads," said Greece Supervisor Bill Reilich. The mounds of tree limbs and brush are being deposited at the town's transfer station on Flynn Road to be chipped for later use in town parks and by residents.

Greece crews already applied more than 6,000 pounds of salt to roads within the town in advance of predicted snow with more than four dozen snowplows ready.

"Our concern is that the storm is to bring heavy snow," Reilich said. "With trees in an already weakened state, (snow) could further damage trees or bring down branches."

Five homes in the town were destroyed by Wednesday's wind storm and are no longer livable, he said. Numerous others are missing shingles or were damaged in another way, he said.

"With the upcoming snow, we're concerned," Reilich said. "But we'll have to wait and see what happens."

In the meantime, town officials plan to keep Greece's emergency shelter open through at least Tuesday, when they will reassess.

Both Reilich and Seeley asked residents for help with storm prep:

  • Reilich asked residents sharing generator power with neighbors to remove any extension cords that span roads once the flakes begin.
  • Seeley asked residents to make sure all storm debris waiting for pickup remains on their lawn, rather than on the road or sidewalk.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said the city is preparing its staff and equipment for the predicted snow, but also asked residents and commuters to be ready to drive on snow-covered roads and to allow plenty of time to travel.

The menacing forecast comes less than a week after whipping winds downed trees, power lines and other debris, leaving tens of thousands of residents and businesses without power for days. As of Monday afternoon, around 7,900 Rochester Gas and Electric customers were still without power. Most of those still waiting for power to be restored are in Rochester, Greece and Irondequoit.

The predicted storm, also comes less than two weeks after February wrapped up as the nation's second warmest since climate tracking became a thing in 1895.

During the brunt of the storm, northeasterly winds will pull ocean water toward the coast and create rough surf from Virginia to Maine, Accuweather predicted, leading to tides 1-2 feet above normal. Coastal flooding and beach erosion are also a concern.

The storm was billed as a potential nor'easter — brutal storms that form along the East Coast as warm air from over the Atlantic Ocean clashes with arctic cold to the north and west. The storms get their name from the northeasterly winds that blow in from the ocean ahead of the storm.

“We are closely monitoring this storm as it develops and I am directing all state agencies to be on alert and ready to respond as the weather develops," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. He promised that more than 2,000 trucks and 443,000 tons of road salt were at the ready.

In Monroe County, highs are expected to remain in the 20s until Thursday. By the weekend, the highs should jump to the 30s, then 40s, forecasters said.

VFREILE@Gannett.com

Includes reporting by USA Today.

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