CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Gale-force winds toppled trees along the Lake Erie shore in Chautauqua County on Monday as a powerful winter storm system moved through Western New York.
Mariah Kravitz of Kravitz Tree Service in Fredonia said her crews have been busy all day responding to storm damage.
"Those winds and waves and everything, you know. It's kind of like the perfect storm, so to speak," Kravitz said.
WATCH: 'It's kind of like the perfect storm:' Wind and snow blast Lake Erie shoreline
"So we started getting calls around 8 o'clock this morning for some trees that have gone down. We had a couple in Fredonia. Not too many so far," Kravitz said. "But along the lake there in Dunkirk, they seem to be getting hit pretty hard."
Kravitz said her crews responded to calls for trees with fallen limbs and trees blocking bridges and roads, as well as trees that fell on houses.
"They're out there right now and working as best they can, kind of in between the lulls of the heavy winds," Kravitz said.
Noel Guttman, the director of emergency services in Chautauqua County, emphasized safety as the top priority during the severe weather event.
"The number one message is safety. And when people hear 70+ mile an hour winds...and you see the warnings that travel could be dangerous and impact the commutes, that's where we really need to think of: Do we really need to go out?" Guttman said.
Snow began picking up by about 3:30 p.m. Monday in Fredonia, with forecasters predicting the storm system would last several days.
"As I speak to you, I look out the window and it's, it's kicking up now. The visibility is getting a little bad, but we're expecting this to be about a four-day event," Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson said.
A little further east in Cattaraugus County, in ski country, the snow was eagerly anticipated by resort operators.
"Hopefully, this area sees a lot of fresh snow. Our guests love that, and we absolutely love being able to provide that kind of wintery experience for them," said Dash Hegeman, director of marketing at Holiday Valley.
The forecast calls for one to three feet of snow in the Southern Tier by Friday.
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