"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 issued in several New York counties due to a high-impact lake-effect snowstorm slamming the Great Lakes region.

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.

The village of Whitehall has been placed under a state of emergency due to a water system failure, according to a message from Mayor Francis Putorti. The Whitehall Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting on Sunday night, where the village voted to declare a local state of emergency.

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.

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

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.

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Wednesday for parts of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, Central New York, and the North Country as severe