"I encourage all New Yorkers to stay alert, stay off the roads if possible, and keep in contact with family and friends as we move through the next 48 hours.”

A state of emergency has been declared in several New York counties as Great Lakes communities from Michigan to the Empire State get blasted by another significant lake-effect snowstorm of the season.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for multiple counties in Western New York on Wednesday night ahead of the incoming lake-effect snowfall. Erie, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee and Wyoming counties are all under the state of emergency,

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for Western New York as well as the North Country due to forecasts calling for heavy snow and high winds. Much like the storms a couple of weeks ago, Niagara County isn’t expected to be impacted by the snow.

Officials in upstate New York counties have declared a state of emergency as they prepare for a major snowstorm that has already dumped over two feet of snow in the Midwest and is forecast to accumulate more this weekend.

Near Buffalo, between 10 and 20 inches of lake effect snow is expected by the end of Sunday, according to the Weather Service. The southern part of Erie County, along with Wyoming, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, are predicted to see 2 to 4 feet of snow by Monday night.