WESTERN NEW YORK -- With a snow system shifting north Monday evening over the city of Buffalo and its Northtowns, the Department of Transportation is asking drivers to use caution.

Homeowners living along Route 5 in Hamburg are still working to dig out their homes and vehicles after the system hit them earlier Monday. Residents near the waterfront found thick sheets of ice, covering sidewalks and making for some slick roadways.

School districts across Western New York were closed Monday, and many evening activities were closed also.

Roadways across the Southtowns, like Route 219, had low visibility but remained open. Some power outages were reported.

Angola was one of the areas hit hardest.

Crosby's gas station worker Danielle Banas wasn't supposed to work Monday, but she filled in after a co-worker couldn't drive in. She says she had trouble making it to work herself.

"There's been about three or four buses stuck in the ditches and a couple of my friends got stuck," Banas said.

After the snow hammered Angola for most of the day, Anthony Mascio reached for his shovel. He says he gladly volunteers to dig out the walkway to his church, but he knew this was no easy task.

"It was terrible. Just sitting in school watching this knowing that I have to come out here and help," Mascio said.

Travelers on Interstate 90 had their hands full, with many taking refuge at the Angola Service Area. Plows could barely keep up with the snow and cars and trucks were skidding off the road.

Motorists at the service area were faced the decision to stay put or to continue through the snow.

"It's almost like a white-out situation," said Aaron Vallin, who's from Sydney, Australia. "We saw cars run off the road and things so we sort of were looking for a place to sort of stop, so we said we'd take refuge here. I thought I was going to bring the sunny weather from Australia here but instead they snowed me under."

Elsewhere, people had to adjust quickly to the change in weather.

"Well, (Sunday) went from 50 (degrees)  to 33 in about an hour, and it's just been snowing ever since," said Forestville resident Mike Partyka, who spent an hour Monday morning shoveling his driveway.

"It took me probably a good half-hour to get six miles, a good six or eight miles," Joel Buncy of East Otto said. "But it's all uphill and slippery, and it's all backroads."