Winter weather is on the horizon and Erie County residents will have another tool in their kit for tracking storms and obtaining accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the severity and path of the storm with the Erie County Winter Weather Storm Scale (“ECWSS”), a new website rich with weather information to help people make informed decisions and stay safe. Based on the Winter Storm Severity index (“WSSI”), the ECWSS features color coded maps detailing the impacts of snow events countywide and at the local level, with users able to track the snow as it falls where they are or anywhere in the county. Also included are cross-sections of the NYS Thruway in Erie and adjacent counties showing weather impacts there, maps detailing blowing snow impacts and their locations, snowfall probabilities and storm histories, and much more.
Developed in collaboration with Erie County, SUNY Albany and the SUNY Albany Center of Excellence (COE) in Weather and Climate Analytics, the ECWSS presents a real-time map of winter weather-related impacts to people (by demographic) and places within the county. It is updated hourly, approximately :15 past the hour, using the latest available NOAA data. Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was joined today by Deputy County Executive Lisa M. Chimera, Commissioner of Public Works Bill Geary and departmental personnel, Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Dan Neaverth, Jr., and personnel from SUNY Albany to introduce the new tool.
“When winter weather hits, our response is predicated on having the best, most up-to-date information on what’s happening and where. Knowing the severity, path and projected timeline of winter storms is a huge aid in keeping roads as clear as possible and residents as safe as possible,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “The ECWSS puts that same knowledge in the public’s hands as well, so that anyone with an internet connection can get the latest information on storm conditions, snowfall rates, blowing snow areas, even a cross-section of the Thruway to check conditions there. It is color coded so it’s easy to see where conditions are good or bad and there are multiple tabs with related information. I encourage everyone to check it out, be familiar with it and stay safe this winter.”
The ECWSS can be found at https://nyswrcc.org/coeweather/ecwss/index.html
