Snow and ice have blanketed much of Chautauqua County causing The National Weather Service in Buffalo to issue a Winter Storm Watch from 7 a.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Monday. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee

Old Man Winter has officially arrived in Chautauqua County. Following, on the heels of Thanksgiving Day and ushering in Black Friday, a white, snow, blanket has covered much of the area.

According to the National Weather Service, the cold front in Chautauqua County and the Great Lakes Region appears to be here for an extended stay – along with pelting much of the country. The National Weather Service in Buffalo is continuing a lake-effect snow warning from 7 a.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Monday.

Snowfall accumulations through noon Friday were being reported as follows: Dunkirk – 5.5 inches; Mayville – 3.7 inches; Fredonia – 3.6 inches; Falconer – 5 inches and Jamestown – 3 inches, with more snowfall on the way.

The potentially dangerous frigid temperatures and snowfall prompted state Gov. Kathy Hochul, to issue a travel advisory and warning prior to Thanksgiving Day for those in the Empire State.

“As we come together this Thanksgiving, I urge all New Yorkers to stay alert, monitor local forecasts, and exercise caution as they travel to be with family and friends this holiday weekend as we experience winter weather across the State. Heavy lake effect snow will also impact some areas this weekend and we are preparing to deploy additional snow removal equipment and personnel, utility crews, and have put the National Guard on standby. If you are traveling, please plan ahead, and prioritize your safety and the safety of others to ensure we can all spend this holiday with our loved ones — safely and warmly,” she said.

Due to the lake effect snow, the state Thruway Authority implemented a tandem truck and empty commercial vehicle restriction on Interstate 90 from exit 53 in Buffalo to the Pennsylvania state line beginning at 3 p.m. Friday until further notice.

According to 511ny.org, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has implemented a ban on all commercial vehicles, until further notice, which includes part of Start Route I-86. Empty and Tandem trailers were banned on I-86 (Pa. to I-390) and Route 219 (I-90 to Pa.) at 5 p.m., Friday.

Jamestown Mayor Kim Ecklund added, “We have crews working all weekend and people to call in if needed. I encourage people to pay attention to the weather and warnings. It may be good here but bad 10 miles away. Also encourage people to stay here on Saturday and shop local.”

For those who must drive, caranddriver.com recommends the following. Drive super smoothly – be smooth with the steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes; Look far ahead – The slipperier it gets, the farther down the road one should look–and think; Heed the flashing lights – If you’re accelerating in a straight line and this light is blinking, this is the stability-control system warning you that the wheels that drive the car are slipping. Heed it. And ease up on the accelerator so the tires regain their grip; Look here – If you feel your car beginning to skid, always, always, look where you want to go–not where the car is heading at that precise moment; Deal with skids – first, don’t panic–and don’t stab the brakes; Use your anti-lock brakes this way – push the brake pedal down hard, and don’t let up. The computer will do the rest, keeping each wheel braking as aggressively as possible based on the available traction; Fit winter tires – proper winter tires provide far more traction in snow, slush, and on ice than even the best set of all-season tires.