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News Release - Abide by Travel Advisory, Clear Snow from Hydrants and Sidewalks

City of rochester, news release.

(Monday, Jan. 17, 2022)— Mayor Malik D. Evans is encouraging city residents to abide by the Monroe County Travel Advisory restrictions and avoid any unnecessary travel in Monroe County and the City of Rochester. Motorists are advised to strictly observe alternate side and other posted parking regulations to facilitate snow removal efforts. Property owners are also asked to clear sidewalks in front of their property of snow and ice and to clear snow from around fire hydrants. It is illegal to shovel or plow snow onto the street, sidewalk, or public right of way. To track City plow runs in real time, visit www.CityofRochester.Gov/plowtrax. For more information on the City’s snow removal policies and procedures, visit: www.CityofRochester.Gov/rocsnow. Questions regarding the Travel Advisory should be directed to Monroe County. ###

Travel advisory lifted for Monroe County

Rochester, N.Y. — UPDATE (12/24/22) : Monroe County Executive Adam Bello has rescinded the travel advisory that was issued on Friday.

Original Story: Monroe County residents are urged to avoid unnecessary travel as a winter storm moved into the area Friday morning.

County Executive Adam Bello issued the advisory late Friday morning, warning of icy conditions, high winds with gusts of up to 60 mph, and downed power lines and trees.

Some intersections are currently without operating traffic lights. Dark traffic signals should be treated as a four-way stop.

Crews are working to fix the issues in the impacted areas.

The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor the situation.

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Monroe County travel advisory lifted as community cleans up from high winds

The travel advisory put in place Sunday afternoon in Monroe County has been lifted. Strong winds caused downed trees and utility poles and sent debris flying.

Winds caused thousands of power outages throughout the Rochester area on Sunday.

County Executive Adam Bello said crews would be working overnight to restore power and clear roadways.

As of 4:50 p.m. Monday , more than 1,900 RG&E customers in Monroe County were still without power.

Avangrid, the company that owns RG&E, says people can report power outages on its app.

The biggest concern is safety. People are advised to stay clear of downed power lines. This is especially important because the ground is saturated from melting snow. Avangrid is asking that anyone who sees downed power lines reports them immediately.

Bello is asking drivers to use caution and plan ahead for morning commutes as roads may still be obstructed and several intersections may not have working traffic lights by morning. 

The Rochester Airport reported a 72 mph gust an hour ago, which is now tied for the 7th strongest on record. With that said, it's no surprise that scenes like this are emerging across the area. 📸: @WendyWrightTV 📍: Irondequoit pic.twitter.com/nxpdyfItEc — Christina Reis (@ChristinaReisWx) March 6, 2022

The county executive says dark traffic signals should be treated as a four-way stop, as there are several intersections without working traffic lights. 

Wind gusts of 72 mph were reported at the Frederick Douglass - Greater Rochester International Airport, the seventh-strongest recorded.

LATEST NEWS

Rochester eclipse forecast calls for traffic. What routes to avoid

Planning to travel across town or take a quick day trip to experience the April 8 total solar eclipse ?

There's a good chance you'll experience something much less profound on the way back: a hypnotizing array of taillights while you sit in traffic.

“It is going to be the single largest travel event in United States this year,” said Jim Stack, head of the Genesee Transportation Council, covering Rochester and its surroundings.

The group has been doing traffic modeling and working with area planners and emergency responders to figure out how best to keep people moving. Roads could start getting jammed up around 3:30 p.m. that Monday, after totality has ended, worsen during rush hour and not let up until evening.

“It's going to be much busier than anybody is used to — for several hours,” Stack said. “I would think, gosh, at least five.”

Roads that are typically congested will be worse. And others that aren’t typically busy will get crowded.

Buffalo and places west are in the eclipse path, so most visitors traveling to Rochester and the Finger Lakes are likely to come from the south and east. And when it’s over? Past eclipses elsewhere have shown most day trippers head back within two hours, and a majority of those try to leave within 15 minutes, Stack said.

“And then the other thing we're going to be faced with is, after the first hour ... there's a surge of traffic coming from Buffalo, the early departures from Buffalo are meeting up with the later departures from Rochester,” Stack said, which then rolls into rush hour.

The heaviest traffic could be to the south and east of Rochester. Specifically, Interstates 390 and 490, the Thruway, as well as Route 15 toward Pennsylvania, and Routes like 5 and 20, or 96.

In the group’s traffic models, roadways colored green and yellow (for minimal congestion) during a typical 4 to 5 p.m. rush hour become solidly red on April 8.

Officials are encouraging visitors to stay an extra day in part to lessen the congestion.

"Anything that's a significant road, that, you know, Google Maps might tell an out-of-town visitor, ‘Hey, take this road.’ Yeah, those are going to be even busier,” Stack said. “If you know the back road neighborhood, you're going to be able to get around a little bit.”

All this could pose an issue for emergency responders. And hospitals.

"Every EMS agency in the community is going to try to staff up a little bit,” said Dr. Jeremy Cushman, the Monroe County EMS medical director.

Strong Memorial Hospital is the region’s only Level One trauma center, and the roads around the Elmwood Avenue facility can get congested on a normal day. Strong also has the region’s only “off-campus” emergency department, located in Brockport — where SUNY Brockport is anticipating possibly the largest single gathering in the area at upward of 5,000 people.

The concern isn’t so much about a big influx of patients but rather that people, ambulances and staff are able to get to — and, if need be, between — the two facilities in a timely manner.

“Essentially this is a business day for us — business as any other day, for all practical purposes,” said David Chafetz, the director of Strong Memorial Hospital's Emergency Preparedness Team. “We're anticipating that volumes probably will be a little bit lighter for the routine scheduled care. However, emergencies and urgent illnesses occur at all times of the day and year.

“So we will be ready.”

Lane closures on major roadways in the region will be pulled back that day, officials said, and any large construction projects affecting key routes have been delayed.

In Monroe County, there aren’t any plans to change traffic patterns by blocking roads or turning two-way streets one way.

But it’s a different story in Wayne County, where eclipse planning has focused on expected large gatherings along the lakeshore, in places like Sodus and Chimney Bluffs State Park. Officials there say they are preparing as they would for the Fourth of July – or a blizzard. Ridge Road and Route 104 are likely to be jammed, so north-south routes that don’t have signalized intersections at the highway will be blocked to through traffic.

Genesee County is looking to deploy its public works staff and vehicles to help stranded motorists.

The challenge in trying to plan for something like the eclipse is ... well, it hasn’t happened here since 1925. Nobody quite knows what to expect.

Cushman is hopeful this is all much ado about nothing.

"I think in the end, we're going to be doing an awful lot of planning for, for almost a non event,” he said. “That's how we want it to end.”

So plan ahead. Expect traffic. Or better yet, Cushman said: “Every location in Monroe County is a great spot to watch it. So just stay home.”

Rochester, NY Warnings, Watches and Advisories

Safety message.

Do not drive vehicles through flooded areas. The water depth and road condition may be unsafe. Additional information is available at https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/ Stay tuned for further updates by listening to NOAA weather radio... or your local radio and TV stations.

Coastal Flood Statement

Coastal flood statement issued may 6 at 5:10am edt until may 6 at 9:00pm edt by nws upton ny.

* WHAT...Up to one half foot of inundation above ground level expected in vulnerable areas near the waterfront and shoreline. * WHERE...Southern Nassau County. * WHEN...This evening. * IMPACTS...Brief minor flooding of the more vulnerable locations near the waterfront and shoreline.

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This information is provided AS IS and strictly for recreational, educational, and informational purposes only; we disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use the data. The information may be inaccurate or incomplete based on how well the corresponding weather station successfully or unsuccessfully reported or recorded it with the instruments which measured the weather at the time; including gaps between hours or even days. Specifically, LocalConditions.com and this data, as presented, may not and should not be used as a reference for any reason relating to legal proceedings, insurance claims, recovery, loss prevention, making predictions, or critical decisions. Lastly, the weather station may be miles away from the actual area of interest. This data may not be leeched or republished.

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Buffalo roads reopen as search for storm victims continues. The latest

Roads reopened Thursday in storm-besieged Buffalo as authorities continued searching for people who may have died or are stuck and suffering after last week's blizzard.

The driving ban in New York’s second-most-populous city was lifted just after midnight Thursday, Mayor Byron Brown announced.

“Significant progress has been made” on snow removal, he said at a news conference late Wednesday. Suburban roads, major highways and Buffalo Niagara International Airport had already reopened.

Still, Brown urged residents not to drive if they didn't have to.

More than three dozen deaths have been reported in western New York from the blizzard that raged  across much of the country,  with Buffalo in its crosshairs on Friday and Saturday.

The National Guard was going door to door to check on people who lost power, and authorities faced the possibility of finding more victims as snow melted amid increasingly mild weather. Buffalo police and officers from other law enforcement agencies also searched for victims, sometimes using officers’ personal snowmobiles, trucks and other equipment.

With the death toll already surpassing that of the area's notorious Blizzard of 1977, local officials  faced questions about the response  to last week's storm. They insisted that they prepared but that the weather was extraordinary, even for a region prone to powerful winter storms.

"The city did everything that it could under historic blizzard conditions,” the mayor, a Democrat, said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, officials watched a forecast that calls for some rain later in the week as snow melts in temperatures approaching or topping 50 degrees. The National Weather Service forecast that any flooding would be minor, but state and local officials said they were preparing nonetheless. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said the state was ready to deploy nearly 800,000 sandbags and more than 300 pumps and generators for flooding response efforts if needed.

(Associated Press)

Buffalo snowstorm photos: 30 images from deadly NY blizzard

Storm death toll rises to 39 in buffalo, buffalo, rochester ny weather forecast: above normal temperatures expected, death toll increases to 34 and could rise as national guard goes door to door.

The death toll in Erie County rose to 34 on Wednesday, officials confirmed in a  morning update. Three of the people who died remain unidentified. 

The county is facing the possibility of finding more victims in the coming days. On Wednesday, the National Guard was going door to door in parts of Buffalo and its suburbs to check on people who had lost power. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said that that officials are "fearful that there are (more) individuals who may have perished" during the storm.

"I offer my deepest condolences and sympathies to the individuals who've lost loved ones," Poloncarz said Wednesday. "I understand that every time that the Christmas season comes along people are going to remember the storm and the death of their loved one. And the stories are just heartbreaking. Just heartbreaking."

(Associated Press, USA Today and Democrat and Chronicle staff reports)

Buffalo driving ban remains in effect

Buffalo's driving ban remained in effect Wednesday to keep people off snow-choked roads, Poloncarz confirmed on Twitter and in the county's Wednesday morning update. The rest of Erie County was under a driving advisory.

State and military police were sent Tuesday to help enforce the ban on driving. Although some suburban roads and most major highways in the area reopened, Poloncarz said Tuesday that police would be stationed at entrances to Buffalo and at major intersections because some drivers were disregarding the ban.

Did Buffalo Bills get preferential treatment during travel ban in blizzard?

On Christmas Day, after playing a Christmas Eve game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, the Buffalo Bills landed at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport because the Buffalo Niagara International Airport was closed as a result of the storm.

Despite a driving ban in Erie County, repeated admonitions by Erie County officials not to violate it and many if not most roads being closed between Rochester and Buffalo — including the New York State Thruway — the team traveled by bus back to Erie County.

It isn’t clear what route they took.

Videos posted to social media showed players digging out their cars after arriving in Buffalo and then driving off, which also violated the ban and prompted outrage on social media.

At a Wednesday morning news conference, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz insisted that the team had not been given preferential treatment.

He said Erie County did not approve or sanction the Bills driving home from Rochester. He said the team’s request for an escort by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office was denied.

He was not asked and did not say whether the organization would be ticketed for breaking the law.

Storm surpasses death toll in 1977 Buffalo-area blizzard

The growing death toll in the Buffalo area reached a grim milestone Tuesday after it surpassed the death toll in the Blizzard of 1977 — widely regarded as the region's worst storm in recent history. 

The blizzard in January 1977 killed 29 people over four days, including 12 who were found frozen in stranded cars, The Associated Press reported.

The storm featured surprisingly little snowfall, only about 12 inches in Buffalo, but brought sustained, deadly cold temperatures into the area for weeks. The area saw blizzard-condition winds for nine consecutive hours and had zero visibility for 13 consecutive hours.

Powerful winds instead blew loose snow from previous storms that winter from frozen Lake Erie onto land, creating huge snowdrifts and fully burying houses and cars alike.

"[The 1977] storm is the benchmark storm for the Buffalo area," Brian Thompson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, told USA TODAY. "This storm certainly seems like it now has become the deadliest storm in the Buffalo area." 

Thompson noted decades of blizzards across the U.S. that have left hundreds dead, including the 1993 Storm of the Century, which killed more than 300 people in more than a dozen states. It is regarded as the second-most costliest winter storm on record, according to federal weather records. 

"You don't think these winter storms can kill so many people but they're just as deadly," Thompson added.  

Buffalo deaths from winter storm rising

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that the death toll from the Buffalo blizzard has risen and now stands at 34.

A thaw may be coming Wednesday

Some relief is in sight: On Wednesday, a warm front is expected to move across north central New York, raising temperatures above freezing, forecasters say.

Ashton Robinson Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the bomb cyclone – when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a strong storm – has weakened. It developed near the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions.

Some milder air has already made its way into western New York, and temperatures will rise over the next few days into the 40s and possibly even the 50s, according to Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at Accuweather.

"The news is generally good for that entire area over the next several days because it is warming up and there's no big snowstorms in sight," Kines told USA TODAY.

Though the quick rise in temperature poses some minor flooding risk in the area, major flooding is unlikely without further precipitation, Kines said.

(Claire Thornton and Cady Stanton, USA Today)

NY Thruway to reopen after deadly winter storm

The New York State Thruway Authority announced Tuesday afternoon that Interstate 90 had reopened to all traffic from exit 46 (Henrietta) to the Pennsylvania line. The Niagara Thruway (Interstate 190) remained closed from I-90 to exit 16 (I-290).

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz also tweeted about the reopening. He said there will still be closures motorists should be aware of in the city of Buffalo.

How much snow has fallen in Buffalo so far?

So far, over 51.5 inches of snow  has been reported at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, located just northwest of downtown. 

Snowfall amounts in Buffalo region

Winter weather advisory remains in effect for Erie County through Tuesday afternoon

Buffalo emergency responders get assistance from monroe county units in winter storm.

Monroe County on Monday sent six Storm Emergency Fire Units to Erie County from the towns of Chili, Brighton, Henrietta, Gates, Ridge Road and Lakeshore Fire Departments.

The units are staffed by four firefighters and can be used to supplement fire and EMS calls. In addition, Spencerport and Point Pleasant fire companies are sending full firetrucks with six firefighters each to help, according to a statement released by Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. "I spoke with Erie County Executive Mark Polancarz this morning to offer my deepest condolences to all the families who lost loved ones through this terrible storm," Bello said.

Snowstorm is Buffalo's worst in 4 decades, rivals historic 1977 storm

Officials in Erie County compared the storm to what is widely known as Buffalo's worst blizzard in January, 1977, which saw surprisingly little snowfall but brought sustained, deadly cold temperatures into the area for weeks. 

Only 12.3 inches of new snow fell at the Buffalo Airport during the 1977 blizzard,  according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center , compared to more than 40 inches in this week's storm. Blizzard-condition winds occurred for nine consecutive hours and zero visibility lasted for 13 consecutive hours.

In the 1977 storm, 29 people died in four days, including 12 who were found frozen in stranded cars,  the Associated Press reported .

"This is a horrible situation," Poloncarz said Monday of the 2022 storm. "The blizzard of 1977 lasted longer — it lasted three days of terrible conditions, this was two days of terrible conditions — but the ferocity of the storm was worse than the blizzard of 1977."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the snowstorm as "one of the worst in history" at a press briefing Saturday.

How much snow has Buffalo gotten so far?

The National Weather Service said the snow total at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood at 51.5 inches Tuesday morning.

Blizzard keeps going in Buffalo, Great Lakes

Forecasters said  snow would keep falling  around the Great Lakes – up to 3 more feet through Monday in some areas of western New York.

High winds, freezing temperatures and heavy snow have been plaguing the region for days, leading to whiteout conditions.

A combination of snow, bitter cold and power outages prompted some Buffalo residents to leave their homes to seek heat. Hochul said the Buffalo Niagara International Airport will be closed through Monday morning. 

Travel bans remain in effect.

Travel advisory lifted in Monroe County NY

Monroe Count released the following statement on the travel advisory being lifted:

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello has rescinded the travel advisory issued yesterday in anticipation of Winter Storm Elliott and associated icy conditions, high winds, downed power lines and trees.

“Thank you to everyone who avoided unnecessary travel yesterday and allowed our emergency responders and utility crews to have better access to our roads,” said County Executive Bello. “I am grateful to all the road crews, law enforcement, emergency medical responders who worked through bitter conditions yesterday and throughout the weekend to help keep our community safe. We remain under a Winter Storm Warning until 7 a.m. Christmas Day, with up to an additional 7 inches of snow expected in some areas, as well as wind gusts of up to 60 mph and wind chills as low as 20 below zero. If you must travel today, please be cautious as the wind and snow will likely continue to make driving difficult. I wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday weekend.”

Approximately 4,000 Rochester Gas & Electric and National Grid customers in Monroe County remain without power this morning and some intersections are still without operating traffic lights. Dark traffic signals should be treated as a four-way stop.

Today’s winds could cause additional power outages. If you do lose power and have a life-threatening situation, please call 911. Otherwise, report downed power lines and outages to Rochester Gas & Electric at (800) 743-1701 or National Grid at (800) 867-5222.

For those without power, the City of Rochester continues to operate a warming center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Gantt R-Center, 700 North Street. An additional warming center is available at the A.D. Oliver Middle School, 40 Allen Street in Brockport, but residents in need of that space are asked to call (585) 370-4193 before heading there.Emergency crews, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and utility crews are operating in affected areas. The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor the situation.

Snow forecast for Rochester, Buffalo regions this weekend

Winter storm brings strong winds to rochester, buffalo regions, track power outages in rochester and across new york.

As severe weather or blizzards threaten, this database scrapes power outage information from more than 800 companies nationwide. Track the latest outages in Rochester and across New York.

∎ Power outage tracker: See the latest outages now

What to do if you lose power in winter storm

RGE provided the following tips to remember during power outages.

Warming shelter set up in Rochester NY

The David Gannt Recreation Center (700 North St, Rochester, NY 14605) will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday as a warming shelter for city residents without power.

Residents can use the recreation center to stay warm, charge their telephones and other electronic devices and receive food.

Youth Service staff and the Persons in Crisis Team members will be on-site during the warming center hours to support residents. The Gant center will be the only R-center open on Christmas Eve. Those who need overnight shelter will be transported to Monroe County emergency shelters.

NY Thruway closed from Rochester to Pennsylvania border due to winter storm

Due to deteriorating conditions and hazardous travel, all traffic has been banned on the Thruway (I-90) from exit 46 (the I-390 junction in Henrietta) to the Pennsylvania border. The ban is in effect until further notice, the New York State Thruway Authority announced just before 2 p.m. Friday.

The Thruway Authority has also closed I-190, which runs north from the city of Buffalo to the U.S.-Canadian border near Niagara Falls.

Additional closures and speed restrictions may be implemented if needed.

New York State Police reported state troopers have responded to 400 storm-related crashes statewide.

Winter storm brings white-out conditions to Buffalo

Travel advisory issued in monroe county ny.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello is urging residents to restrict unnecessary travel due to icy conditions, high winds, downed power lines and trees. There are some intersections without operating traffic lights. Dark traffic signals should be treated as a four-way stop. Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are forecasted to continue and more tree, structures, and power line damage is expected.

Emergency crews, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and utility crews are operating in impacted areas. The Monroe County Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor the situation.

RGE outage map shows thousands without power in Monroe County

More than 13,500 RG&E customers were without power as of 3:50 p.m. Friday in Monroe County. According to the company's website, roughly 5,000 customers in the town of Greece were without power, along with 1,500 in Gates and 1,250 customers in Henrietta.

RG&E also reported 1,000 customers without power in Wayne County.

National Grid reported an additional 5,800 customers in Monroe County without power as of 4:15 p.m. The company also reported 2,800 without power in Orleans County, and 2,200 in Genesee County as the storm continues to batter the region.

Just before noon Friday, RGE officials said their website and mobile application were experiencing technical difficulties . They asked customers who had lost power to report any outage by calling them at 1-800-743-1701.

Wind gusts reached 69 miles per hour at the Rochester airport at 10:40 a.m. , and strong winds are expected to continue throughout the day. Officials warned on Thursday that this storm was expected to cause widespread power outages and that while crews were staging in anticipation of damage, they will not be able to begin their restoration work until the winds die down.

Winter storm forces closure of Rochester City Hall, other facilities

The city of Rochester released the following Friday morning:

Due to the impending snow storm, many non-uniform City facilities including City Hall will be closed today.

City R-Centers will plan to open from 9 to 6 p.m. today to provide grab-and-go meals to children and families in partnership with Foodlink. Refuse and recycling collection also remains on schedule today and the 311 Call Center is open.

The Animal Shelter is closed. Neighborhood Service Centers are closed but responding to telephone calls. City branch libraries are closed as previously scheduled for the Christmas holiday.

Major flooding expected in parts of western New York, Weather Service warns

Flights canceled, delayed amid winter storm.

Chaos has already ensued for holiday travelers dealing with flight cancellations and delays. The winter storm slamming the central and eastern U.S. has led to at least 2,300 canceled flights  in the U.S. as of 6 p.m. EST Thursday, according to FlightAware. Some airlines preparing for the disruptions have begun issuing issued travel waivers in the Midwest, Northeast and parts of the South.

Flight canceled? Here’s what you need to know.

What about flights arriving or departing in Rochester? Check Rochester flights

Temperatures to drop quickly, snow begins to fall in western New York

Blizzard warning, storm warnings issued for rochester ny region.

The Weather Service has issued several weather alerts for the Rochester and Buffalo areas over the weekend, including:

• Blizzard warning issued for Niagara, Orleans, Erie, and Genesee counties in effect from Friday morning to Sunday morning. Blizzard conditions expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet. Winds gusting as high as 70 mph Friday and Friday night. A rapid switch from rain to snow with sharply falling temperatures into the teens and single digits will result in a flash freeze on Friday. Blizzard conditions will develop Friday afternoon lasting into Saturday night.
• Winter storm warning issued for Monroe County in effect from Friday morning to Sunday morning. Heavy snow and strong winds expected. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches. Winds gusting as high as 60mph. A rapid switch from rain to snow with sharply falling temperatures into the teens and single digits will result in a flash freeze on Friday. From Friday afternoon through most of the weekend, very strong winds, lake effect snow, and blowing snow will produce localized blizzard conditions. Greatest snow accumulation across western portions of the county.
• Winter weather advisory issued for Wayne, Ontario counties
• Wind chill warning issued for Steuben County
• Other alerts from the National Weather Service in Buffalo

Temperatures are expected to rapidly drop into the teens on Friday across western New York, then strong, high winds are predicted to pick up by Friday evening and continue through most of the weekend. The warnings, watches and advisories run from Friday morning through Monday morning.

School closures in Rochester NY

The Rochester City School District hcanceled classes for Friday because of the water main break and impending storm. At a Thursday press conference, County Executive Bello said he had spoken with officials from some suburban Monroe County districts and expects that many of those districts will be closed Friday, too.

Weather Service meteorologists described the atmospheric event as a "once-in-a-generation storm" that could clobber the Rochester and Buffalo regions.

How much snow will Rochester NY get?

The Rochester region will likely see 6 to 10 inches of snow on Friday, as the temperature quickly drops, and potentially some flurries and light snow accumulation on Saturday, depending on the path of the storm.

It will also be cold this weekend, with highs expected in the upper teens. When considering the wind chill, it will feel far colder- around 10 to 20 degrees below zero.

There's also a risk of roads flash freezing on Friday, as rain is expected in Rochester Friday morning. Any wet surfaces will quickly freeze as the temperature drops 20 to 30 degrees throughout the day - from a predicted high of 45 down to the mid-teens.

The normal high in mid-December in Rochester is in the upper 30s.

Road conditions, travel advisories in Rochester NY

Bello is advising residents to stay off the roads starting Friday to make way for first responders and road-clearing operations. Salt trucks will be out in force. But the problem with this storm, officials said, is that rain will wash away some of the salt put down in advance, and below certain temperatures, salt loses its effectiveness in melting ice.

Flight delays, cancellations at Rochester NY airport

The Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport has a history of being able to deal with winter weather, airport director Andy Moore said at the Thursday press conference. But he said hub airports in the Midwest, where the storm already has hit, are seeing cancellations. And a check of the Rochester airport’s website shows that a number of flights to Chicago, Detroit have been canceled today, along with some flights to New York City. Go to https://rocairport.com/flights.

Buffalo Bills to alter travel plans for game against Chicago Bears

The storm is forcing the Buffalo Bills to alter their travel plans for Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Normally, the team flies into a city the day before a game, but the Bills recognized that will be impossible on Friday, so they’re leaving Buffalo Thursday night.

RGE readies for power outages in Rochester NY region

Regarding likely power outages, County Executive Bello pointed out that linemen will not be able to begin their restoration work until the winds die down, so “People should start making a plan for themselves today," he said. "Make a plan for what you will do through the weekend if you lose power.”

Rochester Gas and Electric released the following statement on the storm:

New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) are preparing for high winds associated with the winter storm that is expected to move across New York state on Thursday. As a result of the forecast, the companies have pre-staged additional line and tree personnel across the state to assist with restoration efforts, if needed. The storm has the potential to impact all of NYSEG and RG&E’s service areas, which includes Western New York, Rochester, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, North Country, Capital Region, Hudson Valley and Westchester regions.

Current forecasts call for wind gusts potentially reaching 60 mph in two stages on Friday and Saturday, as well as snow and ice, to begin late Thursday in Western New York and then move east across the state. The wind, ice, and snow have the potential to bring down trees and limbs, causing damage to overhead power lines and other electrical equipment. The companies urge customers to monitor local forecasts and prepare for the possibility of service interruptions.

The companies’ storm readiness teams have been monitoring weather forecasts, planning, readying crews and equipment, mobilizing employees for storm duty, and have additional contract tree and line crews ready to help restore service should outages occur.

‘I am beyond frustrated’; RPD chief speaks about six recent murders

Deadly weekend.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Police Chief David Smith and Mayor Malik Evans said the community must come together to work on non-violent conflict resolution following six recent murders throughout the city.

The most recent was a triple shooting Monday morning on Rialto Street on the city’s northeast side that left a man and a woman dead. At a news conference on Monday, the mayor and the chief pleaded for anyone with information to come forward.

“I am beyond frustrated that we are here, talking about more senseless dispute-related homicides,” Smith said.

Mayor Evans said the community needs to come together and realize that this level of violence is never normal. There was another double murder during a  triple shooting on Saturday morning on Lyell Avenue on the city’s northwest side. Before that, a man was  shot and killed  on Avenue D on the city’s northeast side.

No suspects are in custody in any of those murders. Smith pleaded for anyone with information or video to come forward, saying that community members are critical to hold violent offenders accountable.

Evans said he has faith that community members will come forward and police will soon make arrests. He said that, for the string of three murders that happened two weekends ago, police have made arrests in all three cases.

“We’re going to solve all of them. …The community has been great at giving information,” Evans said.

Anyone with information or video can share it anonymously by calling 911 or [email protected].

Police have already made an arrest in one murder over the weekend. A 71-year-old man is charged with murder in the deadly stabbing of a 68-year-old. It happened at Winton Gardens Towers on Sunday evening on the city’s east side.

Evans said community members need to learn how to resolve conflicts without using weapons, saying that the vast majority of homicides in the city are a result of disputes that escalated.

In total, there have been 21 homicides this year. Compared to this time last year, there were three fewer, 18 homicides. You can see the full news conference here: