Bands of heavy lake-effect snow began to pour off Lake Erie and Lake Ontario late Wednesday night, and AccuWeather meteorologists say that this round of snow is only one phase of what is shaping up to be a historic and multiday snowfall event.
AccuWeather forecasters say that the blockbuster lake-effect snowstorm will bury some locations with feet of snow, grind travel to a halt and potentially stamp new marks in the weather history books.
Forecasters warn that travel could be difficult to nearly impossible amid the heaviest snow bands, including along sections of Interstate 90 in the Buffalo, New York, area and I-81 north of Syracuse. Snow may pour down at the rate of 2-4 inches per hour at times with thundersnow possible in the most intense bands.
On Wednesday, a state of emergency was issued by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul due to the forecast. The state plans on bringing “emergency assets” to crisis areas.
While the region has had its fair share of snow showers due to the recent arrival of winterlike cold, experts say that the upcoming event could be one of historic proportions as the lake-effect machine ramps up to full throttle beginning Thursday and continuing right into the weekend.
The National Weather Service issued a lake-effect snow warning for the Buffalo area on Wednesday. The warning was scheduled to remain in place into the weekend. The warning also encompasses nearby Orchard Park, New York, where the NFL’s Buffalo Bills are scheduled to play the Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
“These early-season events can be potent, as lake water temperatures are still quite mild compared to the middle to the latter part of winter,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said. As of Thursday morning, waters on the Great Lakes were generally around the 50s F — several degrees above normal for this time of year.
“The heaviest snowfall is expected to occur downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in New York and Lake Huron in Ontario. Several feet of snow can occur where snow bands persist over the same location for an extended period of time,” Benz said. (SOURCE)
