travel ban lifted buffalo ny

Travel ban lifted in Erie County as road conditions improve, warmer weather settles in

A travel ban has been lifted in New York’s Erie County, days after it was put into place as a deadly blizzard swept across the region, at times reducing visibility to zero.

The ban, which was implemented Friday, expired at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, officials said.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told reporters Wednesday night that the roads were in good enough condition to lift the ban.

“It has been 6 days,” Brown said. “Some people have not been able to restock groceries, to restock medications, to get to medical appointments, and being able to lift the travel ban safely now will allow people to do those important things.”

Most streets in the city are passable, Brown said, and he expected crews to have made a pass down the center of every residential street by the end of the night.

Though the ban has been lifted, a travel advisory was in place for Erie County as cleanup continues and a county-wide state of emergency remained. Brown asked people to be cautious and avoid driving unless necessary.

More than 450 pieces of equipment were on Buffalo streets plowing and hauling snow, and many traffic signals were still not working, he said.

The storm dumped upwards of 20 inches of snow in parts of New York — including nearly 52 inches at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

The powerful storm plunged much of the United States into a deep freeze, creating life-threatening conditions as more than 1 million homes and businesses were left in the dark, and wreaking havoc on flight schedules during the busy holiday travel week.

At least 76 people died in the storm, according to an NBC News tally. Erie County accounted for 37 of the deaths, 29 of which were in Buffalo.

Weather-related deaths were also reported in Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Illinois and Vermont.

In Buffalo, officials said it was possible the number could rise.

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said Wednesday night that police have cleared the backlog of calls relating to welfare checks, stranded motorists and reports of bodies.

Search and rescue teams were returning Thursday to check locations where bodies had been reported but could not be confirmed — either because of the amount of snow or the vagueness of location, Gramaglia said.

"We believe there were some credible 911 calls that contained more information ... low single digit numbers, that's again why we're going to concentrate our efforts on hitting those areas," he told reporters.

In Erie County, 17 of the people who died in the blizzard were found outside and four were in a vehicle , according to County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

Several people died because of a delay receiving emergency services or from cardiac events related to shoveling or blowing snow. Of the deaths, nine were people who died because they had no heat in their homes, he said.

Poloncarz said in a tweet Wednesday night that 500 National Guard members have conducted nearly 850 welfare checks on residents who had longterm power outages.

Power was being restored to New York, and by early Thursday, about 400 customers in the state were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us .

In Buffalo, where more than 20,000 customers were without power at one point during the storm, only three had no electricity Wednesday night, according to Brown, the mayor.

On Wednesday, city offices, facilities and roadways opened, as temperatures rose into the 40s across parts of New York.

Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which has been closed since Friday , reopened Wednesday.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday night that all major state highways in western New York, including the Erie County portion of Interstate 190 and several state routes, would reopen at midnight.

“I am extremely grateful to all the highway maintenance workers, first responders and emergency service staff who continue to work tirelessly to help their fellow New Yorkers," Hochul said in a statement .   

The temperature is expected to continue climbing to the low-50s in the Buffalo region by Friday, and will help melt the accumulated snow, according to the National Weather Service .

Claire Cardona is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital.

Only S. Buffalo travel ban remains, but high winds persist

There is still a wind advisory for all of greater Buffalo, and a travel ban remains for south Buffalo where plow crews have deployed heavy equipment in light of this past weekend’s massive snowfall.

The National Weather Service says chilly and breezy conditions are expected again today ahead of another cold front, the National Weather Service says. Dry and calmer conditions will follow on Tuesday with mainly quiet weather through the Thanksgiving holiday while temperatures moderate to near normal values. Precipitation becomes likely in the Friday to Saturday timeframe.

Buffalo Public Schools and Frontier Central School District closed on Monday. Most other business cancellations that were in place over a blustery weekend, have now started to ease. A driving ban has been lifted for most areas affected by the storm by Monday morning, but remain for only Buffalo south of William Street (South, parts of Ellicott, Fillmore & Lovejoy city council districts.).

The snowstorm was at least the worst in New York state since November 2014, when some communities south of Buffalo were hit with 7 feet (2.13 meters) of snow over the course of three days.

HERE's THE WIND ADVISORY FOR WNY: Niagara-Orleans-Monroe-Northern Erie-Genesee-Wyoming-Chautauqua- Southern Erie- Including the cities of Niagara Falls, Medina, Rochester, Buffalo, Batavia, Warsaw, Jamestown, Orchard Park, and Springville WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...

Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Where fresh snow is on the ground from the recent lake effect snow event, patchy blowing and drifting snow may occur in open areas.

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Travel Ban Now In Effect For Parts Of Buffalo

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As Buffalo gets pummeled by a second snowstorm this week, a travel ban has gone into effect for parts of the city. Officials just sent out a message to warn some residents not to drive.

UPDATE: As of Thursday, January 18, 2024, the travel ban has been lifted. However, a travel advisory still remains in effect.

The Travel Ban south of Broadway will be lifted at 8am this morning. A travel advisory will remain in place. A reminder that City Hall is closed today. ~ Mayor Byron Brown

During the first snowstorm Governor Hochul said that 300 tickets were issued to people who were caught driving on the I-90 during the travel ban.

The Skyway has been closed in both directions as of a message sent out by the City around 7:30 this morning. There is a travel advisory still in effect for parts of the city that are not subject to the travel ban. The city warns residents to avoid any unnecessary travel. If you do have to travel, as an essential employee or for an emergency, please use caution.

Travel Ban Issued For South Buffalo

Travel in South Buffalo is not permitted at the current time. A travel ban message was issued at approximately 8:23 am. Driving is prohibited south of Broadway, including Kaisertown, Lovejoy, and Old First Ward due to heavy snowfall and lack of visibility. Mayor Byron Brown also tweeted about the driving ban,

A Driving Ban is now in effect in the City of Buffalo ONLY in areas South of Broadway which includes South Buffalo, Kaisertown, Lovejoy & Old First Ward. The snowband is expected to move north through the City as the day goes on.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo warns a lake effect snow band is behind the heavy snowfall today,

A heavy lake effect snow band will be across the Buffalo metro area today. The band will meander northward to southern Niagara County this afternoon, then will shift back southward late this afternoon and evening. Expect near whiteout conditions within the heavy snow band.

5 Vehicles That Don't Belong On The Roads In A Snowstorm

Gallery Credit: Clay Moden

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Welcome to Erie County, NY

Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz

Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz » ERIE COUNTY, CITY OF BUFFALO UPDATE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AS OF SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19

ERIE COUNTY, CITY OF BUFFALO UPDATE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AS OF SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19

Modified: November 19, 2022 10:50am

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ERIE COUNTY, NY—Effective immediately (Saturday, November 19 at 6:30 a.m.), the city of Buffalo and Erie County are implementing a Travel Ban for the entire city of Buffalo based on current and expected weather and road conditions.

This updated map shows the current travel restrictions for Erie County, with red-shaded areas having a Travel Ban and yellow-shaded areas having a Travel Advisory.

County and city officials are urging residents to follow these travel restrictions to prevent additional blocked roads from vehicle accidents or stranded vehicles, and to allow snow removal crews, tow trucks and first responders to do their work.

Link to updated map .

Final travel ban in Erie County to be lifted this afternoon

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The final travel ban in Erie County - for the city of Lackawanna - will be lifted at 1 p.m. this afternoon.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says main and secondary streets are in good condition but, according to Mayor Anette Iaffalo, crews need more time to clear some side streets. The county has provided additional equipment to help with this process.

A travel ban in Cheektowaga ended at 9 a.m., while a travel ban for the city of Buffalo and the rest of the county was lifted at 6 a.m.

The snow ban moved north of the Southtowns last night, allowing for crews and snow shovelers to work quickly to clear the inside and outside of Highmark Stadium ahead of this afternoon's Bills-Steelers Wild Card game, which was rescheduled from 1 p.m. Sunday to 4:30 p.m. today.

Shovelers are still needed! Erie County just gave the all clear for people to travel to the stadium to help out. Just use Rt. 20 or Abbott to get there. @WKBW https://t.co/7pSgCMg0my — Taylor Epps (@taylor_epps_) January 15, 2024

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