BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Winter officially begins Dec. 21, but some say winter arrived 34 days early.
Impending weather forced both governments and residents to prepare for cold conditions. Some residents have cleaned local stores out of shovels and snow brushes.
One Erie County resident said it’s human nature to wait until the last minute. She said she’d be buying snow tires as soon as possible.
Another resident said he was hoping the weather would hold off, but he realized his wishful thinking was quickly becoming false.
Across Buffalo, crews are preparing plows and equipment with the goal of a smooth transition into the wintry weather.
Frederick Piasecki, Orchard Park highway superintendent, said he wants roads to stay open for residents.
Up to 40 plows in Erie County will patrol the streets as snow falls. Their ammunition is 50 million pounds of salt. But that salt has gone up in prices.
“With the price of salt up about 27 percent, it gets expensive,” Piasecki said.
He said salt gets used quickly. They start with a full barn in Orchard Park and it quickly turns into a half or quarter storage before they have to reorder salt.
Mark Poloncarz, Erie County executive, said communication between local and county governments is key to successful snow management.
“What we’re hearing from the weather service is the heavy bands will come into the city and the metro areas overnight,” Poloncarz said. “They said it was going to start snowing at 5 o’clock and literally at 5 o’clock it started snowing.”
Erie County Undersheriff Mark Wipperman said the Sheriff’s office will be fully staffed and units equipped with snowmobiles will be ready for action.
By Tuesday, weather reports say over a foot of snow could drop on parts of Buffalo. Polonarz had one warning for those facing slippery travels.
“If you’re in a really bad situation where snow is falling at three to five inches per hour, don’t drive,” he said. “Stay home.”
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