BUFFALO (AP) - Parts of New York are expecting to measure the season’s first big snowfall in feet, rather than inches.

The National Weather Service says snow off the Great Lakes could pile more than two feet high around Buffalo and across the Tug Hill region north of Syracuse through Wednesday afternoon.

Forecasters say snow could fall at a rate of five inches per hour, and sections of the New York State Thruway and Interstate 81 may be nearly impossible to navigate with winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 45 mph.

In Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown says the city is ready. There are eight new pieces in the city’s 75-vehicle snow-fighting fleet, along with 4,000 tons of salt on hand and 7,000 tons in reserve.