It wasn't a record-breaking storm here in Western New York.
But the slow and steady winter storm that started overnight Wednesday and continued all day Thursday caused crashes and disrupted daily routines.
The snowstorm was part of a large weather system affecting the central, northeastern and southern parts of the United States. Here in Western New York, forecasts of up to 13 inches of snow prompted Buffalo schools to switch to remote learning Thursday and Niagara Falls schools opted for a traditional snow day.
The heaviest snowfall of the storm came Thursday evening, making for a difficult drive home. Traffic cameras showed dozens of vehicles that slid or spun out into ditches off area highways. A vehicle that crashed into the right guardrail on the Kensington Expressway near Grider Street caused long backups in the 5 p.m. hour for people headed out of downtown.
And while only a couple of inches of snow had fallen as of Thursday morning, it was enough to cause dangerous, slippery conditions for the morning commute, as well.
At least one serious injury accident was reported when two vehicles crashed just before 8 a.m. Thursday on Millersport Highway, near New Road in Amherst.
A 44-year-old Newfane man and a 26-year-old Tonawanda man were injured in the crash on Millersport Highway that closed a portion of the road for several hours.
One of the drivers suffered serious head and back injuries, while the other suffered leg injuries, police said. Both were taken to Erie County Medical Center by ambulance. The cause of the crash is under investigation, Amherst police said.
There also was a report of a jackknifed tractor-trailer on the eastbound side of the Thruway at Exit 61 in Ripley.
The National Weather Service said in its winter storm warning that "travel could be difficult ... Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will likely impact commutes into Friday."
By about 10 a.m. Thursday, the City of Buffalo's Public Works crews had plowed the majority of the city's main and secondary roads at least once, said Michael Finn, the city's commissioner of Public Works.
"The condition of the streets in general are OK," but snow fighting is an ongoing effort, he said.
"It's going to be a continual effort of just driving all around mains and secondaries all across the city and continually redoing them similar to everyone with their driveways," he said.
Finn and Mayor Byron Brown updated media at a 3:30 p.m. news conference, saying that stepped-up parking enforcement in advance of the storm had helped smooth the plowing process.
About 50 vehicles that were parked illegally had been towed as of Thursday afternoon, Brown said.
One of the things the city did differently is begin the ticketing and towing process sooner than during the Jan. 6 and Jan. 17 winter storms, Brown said. Enforcing the parking regulation is something people asked for citywide.
The city took the step of early enforcement following widespread criticism of snow removal efforts on side streets during a recent storm that dumped nearly 2 feet on most of the region.
“We are opening up streets more quickly. When there are vehicles that are violating the alternate street parking, we are towing and ticketing those vehicles at the request of residents throughout the City of Buffalo," Brown said. "One of the things that we heard from residents in the last two storms was that they wanted their streets open, and if vehicles were illegally parked, violating the alternate parking regulations, they wanted those vehicles removed so that their streets could be opened up. We’re doing that now.
“There were literally thousands of vehicles that were parked illegally, making it difficult or impossible to get down to residential streets. Residents expressed those frustrations to us,” Brown said.
The city reached out to New York State and Erie County for additional help fighting the snow. County crews are assisting the city on Delaware and Elmwood avenues, Finn said. As of Thursday morning, the state was not helping, but the two sides will keep in touch.
"The state can really help us when the snow is just hitting the city. This is an equal opportunity storm so as of this moment we aren't having any help from the state, but we're going to maintain an ongoing conversation," Finn said.
City spokesman Michael DeGeorge said crews started Wednesday night into the overnight hours pre-salting main and secondary roads before the snow began. Crews were also in residential areas plowing and removing snow from previous storms that froze .
A check of about 10 residential streets in the North and Delaware Council Districts – which saw most of the accumulation from the last storm, Finn has said – were passable. It was obvious a snowplow had been down each one.
A winter storm warning remained in effect for much of the region through 10 a.m. Friday, and forecasters warned that the Friday morning commute would likely be slowed. The snow was predicted to taper off by late morning.
The Buffalo-Niagara International Airport remained nominally open throughout the day Thursday, but a majority of flights were canceled due to issues at other destinations thanks to the same storm system.
