Scene at the Dunkirk Pier this morning.

At 7:09 a.m., the temperature in Dunkirk was 41 degrees. In eight minutes, it had dropped to 35.

Welcome to the official beginning of the storm that stressed Christmas 2022.

As of Friday morning, Chautauqua County was under a blizzard warning until 7 a.m. Sunday. By 11 a.m., temperatures had hit the single digits in some areas.

On Thursday evening, state Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for all New York. Wind gusts across Chautauqua County were already whipping at more than 50 mph setting off power outages in the northern portion of the county with four reported affecting 365 households.

Those numbers are expected to grow as wind ranges hit 70 mph in Fredonia this morning at 9. Dunkirk airport had a gust of 66 mph while Jamestown reported 48 mph at 7:50 a.m.

Downtown Dunkirk was barely visible at times.

AAA reported that blizzard conditions in the Buffalo region are making it difficult for tow truck drivers to navigate roads in poor visibility. A driving ban is now in effect in Erie County.

“Please keep in mind that AAA may be unable to provide service in areas that are under travel bans, and AAA urges motorists to stay home,” the agency said. “Going out on the roads will result in an emergency situation for stranded motorists. In areas where conditions are dangerous, AAA will suspend service for motorists who are safe at home. Anyone stranded in a vehicle should call 9-1-1. AAA provides roadside assistance but cannot facilitate emergency rescue operations. AAA is urging the public to obey driving bans for their own safety. Some AAA contractors are pulling tow trucks off the road to protect drivers as visibility is poor and conditions are deteriorating rapidly.”

On Thursday afternoon, Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek issued a travel advisory that began at 7 a.m. Friday and goes through Monday. “The Advisory is issued based on the guidance of the National Weather Service forecast of treacherous weather conditions in our area for that time period. Only essential travel is advised,” he said.

The National Weather Service said accumulations of 1 to 2 feet in most persistent snows are possible through Monday.

From this afternoon through most of the weekend, very strong winds, lake effect snow, and blowing snow will produce localized blizzard conditions. Wind chills as cold as 24 below zero tonight.

Mail was still being delivered in Fredonia this morning as the storm began around 7.

Greatest snowfall amounts will be across far northern and western Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, and northwestern Wyoming county.

Travel for the holiday weekend will be extremely difficult to impossible. Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility. Very strong winds could cause extensive tree damage and numerous power outages. Dangerously cold wind chills as low as 24 below zero can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency to approve any request from New York State for a major disaster declaration as the potential holiday weekend blizzard begins to touch down in Western New York and communities across Upstat. The senators said current forecasts of snow, extremely high winds, freezing rain, and rapidly dropping temperatures creates potentially very dangerous conditions, especially around such a peak travel time due to the holiday weekend.

“Buffalo, Western New York and communities across New York state are expecting a rapidly intensifying blizzard and dangerous conditions as we enter the holiday weekend and it is absolutely crucial that they have resources they need to recover and weather this storm,” Schumer said. “FEMA needs to stand ready to swiftly approve any forthcoming requests from the state for assistance to help these communities quickly recover and endure the storm.”

“Over the next few days, Western New Yorkers will weather dangerously low temperatures, poor travel conditions, severe storm surges, and heavy wind gusts expected to lead to widespread power outages,” said Gillibrand said. “Ahead of this storm of potentially historic proportions, FEMA must be prepared to immediately send any aid requested by the state in order to keep our communities safe through the storm and allow them to recover quickly from any damage.”