I-90 Thruway Will Soon Close Because of Lake Effect Snowstorm

It's by far the most popular topic in Western New York right now: the looming lake effect snowstorm, which is predicted to drop anywhere from 1-4 feet of snow on the Buffalo and Western New York region from Thursday evening into Sunday.

It just depends on where you live, in terms of how much snow you will get. By all accounts, from forecasts locally, the Buffalo metro and areas just south will see the most snow; but the southern tier and even up into Niagara County will also see quite a bit of snow.

Get our free mobile app

Because of that lake effect snowstorm prediction, which could bring one of the most intense lake effect storms we have seen here, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the i-90 Thruway, from Rochester to the Pennsylvania line, will close to commercial traffic starting at 4 pm on Thursday.

This means that if you were planning on traveling on the Thruway between PA and Rochester after 4 pm tomorrow, it's best to find an alternative route, or just stay at home if you're traveling when the Winter Storm Warning goes into effect for Erie County; which is 7 pm on Thursday.

Many motorists were stranded on the Thruway during the huge lake effect snowstorm from November of 2014, so it looks like the state will be playing it safe and eliminating that risk early on.

The worst of the storm will be late Thursday night through much of Saturday. Be prepared for road closures and even travel advisories or bans, which could happen if this storm reaches its worst potential.