The blizzard of 2014 lived up to its hype. Heavy snow and high winds started battering the Rochester region by mid-morning on Wednesday. The National Weather Service said about 9 to 12 inches of snow fell by evening, and another 5 to 8 inches are expected at night, for total accumulation of around 14 to 20 inches of snow.
Winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour gusted to near 50 mph, creating extremely poor visibility at times. The temperature dropped throughout the day with a low in the single numbers expected by evening. Thursday could still see a rough morning commute, and temperatures on Thursday will only be in the teens, but rebound into the 40s on Friday.
As of early afternoon, the National Weather Service said we had officially reached the definition of a blizzard with sustained winds of 35mph+ over at least three hours with visibility of less than 1/4 mile.
Stay tuned to WXXI, AM 1370 and FM 88.5 and online, at wxxinews.org for the latest updates.
Governor Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for the Rochester area and several other counties.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks declared a state of emergency, and advised no unnecessary travel.
Many other counties also issued travel advisories in our area. Livingston County officials said that roads were closed except for essential travel, but were expected to reopen at midnight. Ontario County has a "no unnecessary travel" warning.
City officials in Rochester say the trucks are staffed around the clock to meet the demand and they can bring in additional employees if need be.
There will be no garbage or recycling collection on Wednesday, delaying it one day. That way, the city can add plows to garbage trucks and get them on the road to help clear the snow.
There are also several flights canceled at the Rochester Airport. You can check the list here.
A number of area malls and other retail outlets closed, although Wegmans says its stores remained open.
