As Chautauqua County dealt with its first blow of wintry weather this week, a swarm of drivers could be seen rushing into local garages for their annual snow tire installations.

Aaron Liberati, a customer service representative and salesman with Barmore Sellstrom Inc., located at 1403 E. Second St., said business for snow tires has been “absolutely nuts” in the past two weeks.

“People put it aside and forget that we get snow in Western New York … and then they come in all at once,” he said.

“One day last week, I sold 160 new tires in just eight hours. People come in like crazy.”

Jim Boland, president of Boland’s Goodyear Auto Service Center in Lakewood, echoed Liberati’s observations, saying this is typically the “busiest time of the year” for them.

“Fifty miles from here, you wouldn’t need a snow tire, but because of the amount of snow that we get in and around this area, you definitely need snow tires,” he said.

Boland described snow tires as much more “aggressive” than all-season tires, which many drivers continue to use throughout the winter. He indicated that snow tires have wider cleats and a special rubber compound that provides for better water dissipation ability and traction.

Boland also recommended that drivers replace all four of their tires with snow tires to prevent skidding and fishtailing rear-ends.

According to Candi Huffman, office manager at Kaczar Collision, located at 3063 Fluvanna Ave. Ext., weather and especially deer-related accidents are extremely prevalent this time of year.

She advised drivers to “slow down,” and if they get into an accident, drive into their office to receive an estimate and a fix as soon as possible.

Kaczar Collision also has a 24-hour tow service for vehicles that are disabled.

According to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, a 60 percent chance of snow showers today will lead to a possible accumulation of 1-2 inches. Temperatures will range from the lower to mid-30s.

For Sunday, there is a 50 percent chance of snow showers, with temperatures in the mid-30s.