Erie County, N.Y. (WBEN) - Erie County advised residents today of the upcoming extreme arctic cold front that is expected to start Thursday night, with extremely cold temperatures in the single digits and sudden bursts of snow that could last into Saturday.
"Driving conditions during that period will be very difficult and there could be whiteout conditions that exists including thundersnow," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. "A brief burst heavy snow, 15 to 30 minutes, an inch or less with gusts in excess of 40 mph and possible whiteout conditions with the thundersnow as reported by the National Weather Service. The temperatures will plunge to brutally cold air, which can cause life threatening wind chills of minus 15 to minus 20 degrees in our region."
Poloncarz says that Code Blue resources will be in effect, such as there 24-hour warming shelters. "Code Blue shelters were activated and worked throughout the whole time during the blizzard last time, they never lost power. The Code Blue shelters have to have backup generators to be part of the program," Poloncarz said.
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Erie County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein recommends staying home if you can and if you do travel, make sure you are adequately dressed.
Also, make sure your car is packed with supplies in case of emergency, with such items as kitty litter for car traction, jumper cables, road flares, extra blankets, gloves and non-perishable food items.
Going forward, Poloncarz recommends you stay advised by following the ReadyErie app your iPhone or Android device, as well as follow the Buffalo National Weather Service on Facebook or Twitter for the latest local weather updates.