(WXXI News & AP) The winter storm gripping much of the nation did not bring much snow to the immediate Rochester area over the Christmas weekend. But it was a different story to the west of the city, especially in the Buffalo area which saw two or three feet of snow in some areas.
Wind gusts of more than 60 mph were recorded at the Frederick Douglass-Greater Rochester International Airport, and some gusts topped 70 mph in the Buffalo area on Friday and Saturday.
The NYS Thruway Authority announced early Friday afternoon that all traffic, including passenger traffic, is banned on the Thruway, going west to the Pennsylvania line. That ban was still in effect as of Monday morning.
It’s coming - wind is picking up and cold temps moving into my area in Fairport. @WXXINews pic.twitter.com/yht9p8FXa7
— Max Schulte (@maxrocphoto) December 23, 2022
RG&E had just a handful of outages in Monroe County as of early morning.
Most of the National Grid customers in Monroe, Orleans and Genesee county were back on line by Monday, but in Erie County, hardest hit in the region by the storm, still listed more than 12,000 customers without power early on Monday.
Officials with RG&E said that restoration of all of the outages may be a "multiple day event," noting that initial reports indicate damage from the storm included downed trees and transmission lines, and as trees came down, it made some areas inaccessible. To report outages call RG&E at 1-800-743-1701. You can call National Grid at 1-800-867-5222. You can reach NYSEG at 1-800-572-1131.
The city of Rochester was dealing with a second major incident this past week after a massive water main break on Wednesday on the southwest side affected thousands of people. As a precaution, there was a boil water advisory put in place for a large section of the city. But early Saturday afternoon, officials announced that the advisory has been lifted.
The City Water Bureau collected 16 samples throughout the affected area over the past two days and determined the water is safe to drink. The Monroe County Department of Health reviewed the samples and tests and approved the lifting of the boil-water notice.
The 36-inch water main ruptured Wednesday evening and repairs were complete Friday evening. Drivers in the area of Ford and Favor Streets are advised to allow for extra time as road damage and repairs will impact traffic flow for at least the remainder of the holiday weekend.
The storm unleashed its full fury on Buffalo, with hurricane-force winds and snow causing whiteout conditions, paralyzing emergency response efforts — Gov. Kathy Hochul said almost every fire truck in the city was stranded Saturday — and shutting down the airport through Tuesday morning, according to officials. The National Weather Service said the snow total at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood at 43 inches at 7 a.m. Sunday.
Daylight Sunday revealed cars nearly covered by 6-foot snowdrifts and thousands of houses, some adorned in unlit holiday displays, dark from a lack of power. With snow swirling down untouched and impassable streets, forecasters warned that an additional 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in some areas through early Monday morning amid wind gusts of 40 mph.
Two people died in their suburban Cheektowaga, New York, homes Friday when emergency crews could not reach them in time to treat their medical conditions. County Executive Mark Poloncarz 10 more people died in Erie County during the storm, including six in Buffalo, and warned there may be more dead.
“Some were found in cars, some were found on the street in snowbanks," said Poloncarz. “We know there are people who have been stuck in cars for more than 2 days.”
Freezing conditions and day-old power outages had Buffalonians scrambling to get out of their homes to anywhere that had heat amid what Hochul called the longest sustained blizzard conditions ever in the city. But with streets under a thick blanket of white, that wasn't an option for people like Jeremy Manahan, who charged his phone in his parked car after almost 29 hours without electricity.
"There's one warming shelter, but that would be too far for me to get to. I can't drive, obviously, because I'm stuck," Manahan said. "And you can't be outside for more than 10 minutes without getting frostbit."
Ditjak Ilunga of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was on his way to visit relatives in Hamilton, Ontario, for Christmas with his daughters Friday when their SUV was trapped in Buffalo. Unable to get help, they spent hours with the engine running in the vehicle buffeted by wind and nearly buried in snow.
By 4 a.m. Saturday, with their fuel nearly gone, Ilunga made a desperate choice to risk the howling storm to reach a nearby shelter. He carried 6-year-old Destiny on his back while 16-year-old Cindy clutched their Pomeranian puppy, stepping into his footprints as they trudged through drifts.
"If I stay in this car I'm going to die here with my kids," he recalled thinking, but believing they had to try. He cried when the family walked through the shelter doors. "It's something I will never forget in my life."
This story includes reporting by the Associated Press.
