BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown on Thursday called the storm that hit the Queen City in November just a warm-up for what the region is about to see over the next few days. 

"Some meteorologists are calling this a once-in-a-generation event,” said Brown. “Let me say that again: some meteorologists are calling this a once-in-a-generation event."

That's why the city of Buffalo is under a state of emergency starting at 7 a.m. Friday.

Buffalo City Hall is also closed Friday. All essential city employees are asked to check in with their respective supervisors for their work status. 

All city garbage and recycling pick-ups scheduled for Friday are now pushed back to Monday, and all city waterfront parks, like Erie Basin Marina, are now closed until further notice. 

"We certainly think this is going to be a different kind of storm than last time,” said Nate Marton, commissioner, City of Buffalo Department of Public Works. “That four feet-plus is certainly a different kind of removal, but this is high snow, heavy winds, a lot of drifting that we're going to be dealing with. We'll be attacking this storm as it starts, during and after into next week."

For an emergency, City of Buffalo officials ask that you call 911 immediately. If you need to report something that is not an emergency, you can dial 311.