Highway crews in Hamburg were planning to work all night to get streets ready for residents to go to work Wednesday morning.
The plan was to “really hit it hard a little past midnight, and get everything cleared and ready for the morning commute,” said Hamburg Supervisor Steven J. Walters.
That is if the storm cooperated and blew out of the area overnight.
It had a mind of its own Tuesday, as Hamburg spent the day on a seesaw, with the lake-effect snow band moving into and out of the town, and then dropping down again.
High winds created whiteout conditions at midday as a driving ban remained in effect. Those lured out of their homes by the morning’s sunshine quickly found themselves stuck on the afternoon’s treacherous roads.
A row of tractor trailers idled at Exit 57 of the still-closed Thruway. A State Trooper blocked the entrance’s toll booths, and a Thruway Authority plow worked to keep the toll plaza clear.
Some tractor trailers opted for Southwestern Boulevard as an alternative to the Thruway, but they crawled along. One needed a tow truck to pull it out of a drift around noon on Southwestern near Camp Road.
Earlier, things were frigid but clear in Hamburg. Residents, accustomed to having lake-effect snow dumped on them, took this storm in stride. Streets had generally been cleared, and people used a break in the weather as a chance to move into dig-out mode.
Candace Hines was wishing she had her snowblower back.
The Village of Hamburg resident was hard at work late Tuesday morning, trying to clear the end of her short driveway.
Hines moved into her house at the corner of Center Street and Long Avenue about a year and a half ago. Her last home was a condo, which meant the snowblower was expendable. Today, not so much.
“I think I’ll buy a snowblower,” she said in between digs of the shovel.
In many spots around town, you could see grass, with the wind whipping the ground clear while producing large drifts. The bitter cold – a bank thermometer showed a minus-3 reading – and wind were reminders of what makes a blizzard different from a typical Western New York storm.
In the estimation of Hines, who has lived in the area since the ‘70s, “this is nothing compared to the Blizzard of ‘77.”
Gayle Murphy was also undaunted by the storm. She was out for a short walk with her dog, Bella, in front of her Union Street home. Bella was keeping warm with an Old Navy shirt and some boots; Murphy was bundled up with and donning ski goggles.
“It’s a beautiful, snowy day,” Murphy said. “What are you gonna do?”
Murphy said she and her husband, who was helping clear out neighbors’ sidewalks with his snowblower, planned to make the most of the conditions. She said tonight they’d get together for dinner with their neighbors.
Meanwhile, Hines was trying to figure out where to put all the snow. Still, she wasn’t fazed by the Blizzard of 2014.
“Winter is boring without drama,” she said.
The plan was to “really hit it hard a little past midnight, and get everything cleared and ready for the morning commute,” said Hamburg Supervisor Steven J. Walters.
That is if the storm cooperated and blew out of the area overnight.
It had a mind of its own Tuesday, as Hamburg spent the day on a seesaw, with the lake-effect snow band moving into and out of the town, and then dropping down again.
High winds created whiteout conditions at midday as a driving ban remained in effect. Those lured out of their homes by the morning’s sunshine quickly found themselves stuck on the afternoon’s treacherous roads.
A row of tractor trailers idled at Exit 57 of the still-closed Thruway. A State Trooper blocked the entrance’s toll booths, and a Thruway Authority plow worked to keep the toll plaza clear.
Some tractor trailers opted for Southwestern Boulevard as an alternative to the Thruway, but they crawled along. One needed a tow truck to pull it out of a drift around noon on Southwestern near Camp Road.
Earlier, things were frigid but clear in Hamburg. Residents, accustomed to having lake-effect snow dumped on them, took this storm in stride. Streets had generally been cleared, and people used a break in the weather as a chance to move into dig-out mode.
Candace Hines was wishing she had her snowblower back.
The Village of Hamburg resident was hard at work late Tuesday morning, trying to clear the end of her short driveway.
Hines moved into her house at the corner of Center Street and Long Avenue about a year and a half ago. Her last home was a condo, which meant the snowblower was expendable. Today, not so much.
“I think I’ll buy a snowblower,” she said in between digs of the shovel.
In many spots around town, you could see grass, with the wind whipping the ground clear while producing large drifts. The bitter cold – a bank thermometer showed a minus-3 reading – and wind were reminders of what makes a blizzard different from a typical Western New York storm.
In the estimation of Hines, who has lived in the area since the ‘70s, “this is nothing compared to the Blizzard of ‘77.”
Gayle Murphy was also undaunted by the storm. She was out for a short walk with her dog, Bella, in front of her Union Street home. Bella was keeping warm with an Old Navy shirt and some boots; Murphy was bundled up with and donning ski goggles.
“It’s a beautiful, snowy day,” Murphy said. “What are you gonna do?”
Murphy said she and her husband, who was helping clear out neighbors’ sidewalks with his snowblower, planned to make the most of the conditions. She said tonight they’d get together for dinner with their neighbors.
Meanwhile, Hines was trying to figure out where to put all the snow. Still, she wasn’t fazed by the Blizzard of 2014.
“Winter is boring without drama,” she said.