“Our crews have been working together – towns and villages – they always work together with the county, the cities, and the state. They’re always in constant contact and working well,” County Executive PJ Wendel said during a press briefing Monday afternoon. “We haven’t had any significant wind events. We haven’t had any power outages for the most part.”

Wendel noted that there had not been any reported fatal accidents and the majority of the crashes have been minor. There was one accident involving a plow and a vehicle, however there were only minor injuries from the incident.

According to the National Weather Service, as of Monday morning, Cassadaga had 54.1 inches of snow, Dewittville had 42.5 inches, Fredonia had 35.9 inches, Dunkirk had 32 inches, Silver Creek had 25 inches, Kennedy had 11.5 inches, Falconer had 9.2 inches and Jamestown had 8.5 inches of snow.

The National Weather Service has the warning in place through Tuesday at 7 p.m.

OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon More than 54 inches of snow had fallen in Cassadaga as of Monday morning. Last year the village received 81 inches total for the entire winter.

Wendel noted in the last few years, there hasn’t been this kind of snow. For example, while Cassadaga received more than 54 inches in three days, the village received a total of 81 inches all of last winter.

Wendel urges drivers to take it slow. “We just tell everybody to please be cautious. Please listen to any warnings or advisories that are out and take your time,” he said.

County Public Facilities Director Tim Card said on average, they have between 20-25 trucks out on the road. It takes them about 3 ½ hours to complete all the county roads.

He, too, urged people to drive slowly or stay home when bad weather hits.

“Our plow guys are out there. We don’t need cars or vehicles or traffic stranded or in our way because that slows us down tremendously,” Card said.

County Interim Office for Aging Services Director Dana Corwin encouraged residents to check on their elderly neighbors and relatives who may need assistance.

“Check to see if they have food, water, medication on hand, and that everything is running smoothly in the house,” she said.

Even though there’s lots of snow in certain areas of the county, Wendel noted that snowmobile trails are closed since it’s hunting season. He also noted that while there may be snow, the ground is quite warm and driving on any trails would ruin them.

He did encourage residents to try other outdoor sports, including cross country skiing, hiking, or fat biking.

“We do have our Overland trails that are open. We do have a variety of trails, Rails to Trails here in Chautauqua County that have been open. We do not close them,” he said.

He does recommend people check the battery level on their cell phone before they go out, in case something happens, to avoid being stranded.