ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) — The 'big dig' is on at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park after lake effect snow targeted Orchard Park, South Buffalo and the immediate Buffalo southtowns late Saturday and overnight into Sunday.
The snow has now settled southward and the Lake Effect Snow Warning for northern Erie County has been canceled.
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The lights were on at Highmark Stadium through the night as the snow clearing effort was underway. High loaders, dump trucks and plows were moving the heavy snow from parking lots around the stadium while crews inside were clearing the concourses and aisles leading to stadium seating.
Despite the fact the heavy lake effect snow will be long gone before kickoff after 8 p.m., Bills fans can expect extreme wintry cold conditions and accumulated snow inside the stadium.
Rookie receiver Keon Coleman shrugged by saying he was accustomed to playing in snow during his two seasons at Michigan State.
It certainly snows in landlocked East Lansing, but not to the degree of the storms that can hit the Buffalo region blowing in off nearby Lake Erie.
“This is going to be concerning for people trying to travel to the football game. We do not expect the game to be postponed or anything like that. The game will go on,” Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference Friday. “Now, we’ve had games that are colder than that. Just got to dress appropriately. So people need to be prepared. It’s the first real cold of the season. We haven’t had anything like this all year.”
Plows and backhoes were already arriving at the stadium Friday, with a dump truck spreading salt on parking lots and roads in anticipation of the storm. The Bills issued a call for volunteers to sign up as prospective snow shovelers, with no indication on if or when they’ll be needed.
This is nothing new for the Buffalo region or the Bills.
In January, a lake-effect storm forced the NFL to push back the Bills' wild-card playoff home game against Pittsburgh by a day. The switch was required because the brunt of the storm lasted through the scheduled game time, and an accompanying driving ban made it impossible to clear the stadium in time for kickoff.
Two years ago, the Bills’ scheduled home game against Cleveland in November was instead played in Detroit because of a lake-effect storm.
“We’re trying to stay on top of it,” coach Sean McDermott said Friday.
“You guys know things change around here quickly with the weather coming off the lake and everything. So do the best we can,” he added, noting the uncertainty of the weather adds an extra layer of preparation.
The Bills are 9-2, their best start since 1992, and with a win would clinch their fifth straight AFC East title.
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