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Bills fans help shovel out Highmark Stadium as 18 inches of snow falls before playoff game

ryan miller, rochester democrat and chronicle
·3 min read
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The Buffalo Bills playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed but there was still a shovel pass on Sunday.

The organization tamped down its recruitment of snow shovelers to Highmark Stadium and asked people to abide by the travel bad that forced the wild card game to be rescheduled from 1 p.m. Sunday to 4:30 p.m. Monday.

That didn't stop nearby Orchard Park residents from walking to the stadium to pitch in. The Bills had asked anyone age 18 and over interested in shoveling snow inside to report to Highmark Stadium. The franchise offered to pay $20 per hour along with with complimentary food and breaks.

Orchard Park received 18 inches of snow from 2 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Monday.

A winter storm warning is in effect for the region, including Orchard Park, until 7 a.m. Monday by the National Weather Service of Buffalo. The forecast Sunday evening into Monday morning calls for heavy, blowing lake effect snow and new totals of up to 8 to 14 inches. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph, which may create near blizzard conditions. Travel will be difficult to impossible with near zero visibility in the snow band, the National Weather Service said.

The snow is expected to stop about 9 a.m. and the temperature at kickoff is predicted to be 17 degrees, with a wind chill of 5 degrees.

Workers remove snow from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday Jan. 14, 2024. A potentially dangerous snowstorm that hit the Buffalo region on Saturday led the NFL to push back the Bills wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers from Sunday to Monday. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the NFL cited public safety concerns for the postponement, with up to 2 feet of snow projected to fall on the region over a 24- plus hour period. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Stadium employees and fans shoveled and loaded snow from the field and stands to remove it from the stadium in preparation for Monday's game. The travel ban was lifted Sunday evening only for people who wish to assist in shoveling snow at Highmark Stadium. The ban will be fully lifted at 6 a.m. Monday.

The Bills consulted with New York Governor Kathy Hochul to move the game from Sunday to Monday. Hochul was confident Sunday that the rescheduled game is still on schedule and that it "will not be pushed back again."

"It won't be pleasant, but it's not going to be life-threatening," Hochul said.

Here is what Highmark Stadium looked like over the weekend.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills fans help shovel as 18 inches of snow falls at Highmark Stadium