INST RATED PVT PLT OF C172 FINDS HIS DEST AND ALTERNATE ARPTS BELOW MINIMUMS. DECLARES LOW FUEL EMER AND DIVERTS TO BUF.

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WE DEPARTED TYQ IFR FOR ERI. WX AT DEP ARPT WAS IMC. WE DEPARTED AND UNEVENTFULLY CLBED TO OUR ASSIGNED ALT OF 7000 FT. AT 7000 FT; WE WERE ON TOP OF SOLID CLOUDS; WITH SOME MIST AND INDISTINCT TOPS. THE FLT PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY TO ERI. DURING THE FLT; THE CEILING AND VISIBILITY DECREASED DRAMATICALLY; AND IT BECAME APPARENT THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE AN APCH TO MINIMUMS AT ERI. AFTER BEING CLRED FOR THE APCH; AND CONDUCTING THE APCH TO MINIMUMS; WE EXECUTED A MISSED APCH. AFTER CONSIDERING OUR OPTIONS; I DECIDED TO ATTEMPT TO LAND FURTHER INLAND AT JHW; APPROX 40 MI E OF ERI. BY THE TIME WE NEARED JAMESTOWN; IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE CONDITIONS AT JHW WERE NO BETTER; AND BECAUSE THE APCH WOULD HAVE TO BE MADE IN A NON RADAR ENVIRONMENT; I DECIDED TO ATTEMPT TO REACH BUF; A LARGER ARPT APPROX 50 MI N OF JHW. AT THAT TIME; WE REALIZED THAT OUR FUEL RESERVES HAD DIMINISHED TO A CRITICAL SIT. WE DECLARED AN EMER WITH THE BUFFALO CTLRS; AND WERE GIVEN PRIORITY HANDLING. WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE AN APCH TO MINIMUMS AT BUFFALO; LANDED UNEVENTFULLY; AND TAXIED OFF THE RWY TO PARKING. THE PROB AROSE FROM THE CRITICAL FUEL SIT AFTER REACHING OUR ALTERNATE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE DETERIORATION OF WX CONDITIONS AT OUR APT OF INTENDED LNDG; THE DECISION TO TRY TO LAND AT JHW; AND THE DELAY IN SELECTING BUF AS OUR DEST ARPT. MY MISTAKEN ASSUMPTION THAT THE WX INLAND WOULD BE BETTER CAUSED ME TO SELECT JHW AS THE ALTERNATE. MORE CAREFUL ATTN TO WX CHANGES AS OUR FLT PROGRESSED; AND THE IMMEDIATE SELECTION OF BUF AS THE MORE DESIRABLE ALTERNATE AFTER THE FIRST MISSED APCH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE PROB. THE ADDITIONAL PRESSURE OF HAVING COMPLETED THE MISSED APCH CONTRIBUTED TO THE DILEMMA.