BUFFALO, N.Y. — The first big snowfall of the season is blanketing towns along lakes Erie and Ontario and in upstate New York in the middle of the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend, while numbing cold and heavy snow could persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a proclamation of disaster emergency. Shapiro said parts of Erie County in northwestern Pennsylvania had already received nearly 3 feet of snow with more expected through Monday night. He said state emergency, police and transportation teams had been on the ground overnight to help to any stranded drivers “and make sure emergency responders can get to folks who need them.”
Pennsylvania State Police responded to nearly 200 incidents during the 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, officials said.
As flakes began flying Friday, New York state forecasters warned 4 to 6 feet of blowing and drifting snow could fall in Watertown and other areas east of Lake Ontario through Monday.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency for affected counties. Rapidly deteriorating conditions Friday caused closures along Interstate 90, and tandem and commercial vehicles were banned from Interstate 86 in western New York and much of U.S. Route 219 beginning Friday afternoon.
ATVs and snowmobiles were being placed around the county to help first responders if necessary, said Gregory Butcher, Erie County deputy director for preparedness and homeland security, said Friday.
After an unusually mild fall, as much as 2 to 3 feet of snow were possible along Lake Erie and south of Buffalo from lake-effect bands notorious for pummeling the region with snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour. Lake-effect snow happens when warm moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead.
“The lake is 50 degrees. We’re about 6 degrees above where we should be this time of year, that’s why we’re seeing these heavy lake-effect events,” Erie County Public Works Commissioner William Geary said. “The outlook for the next two weeks into December, we’ll probably see some more.”
Part of Interstate 90 in Pennsylvania was closed Saturday, and as were westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh reports that flurries are in progress across Columbiana County, Ohio, and extend into Pennsylvania in Lawrence and Butler counties. Flurries are also expected from Zanesville, Ohio, into the Morgantown, W.Va., region. Wind chills are in single digits to teens.
Flurries are in progress across Columbiana County OH and extend into Lawrence and Butler Counties in PA. Other flurries that are tough to see on radar are also expected from Zanesville OH down into the Morgantown WV area. Wind chills are in single digits to teens. pic.twitter.com/iEbhhNGDiR
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) November 30, 2024
Nearly two feet of snow has already fallen in parts of New York, Ohio and Michigan and some 29 inches of snow was recorded in Pennsylvania’s northwestern tip.
The NWS out of Cleveland said snow bands will continue over the next 18 to 24 hours across the lakeshore areas of far northwestern Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio. Saturday’s snowfall totals are expected to be anywhere from 8 to 20 inches. There will be a slight break in the snow in northwestern Pennsylvania late Saturday as the band moves offshore, the NWS said.
Anywhere from 6 to 15 inches more snow is expected to return to the region around Lake Erie late Sunday into Monday morning, according to the NWS.
A state of emergency has been declared for parts of New York, causing problems for scores of Thanksgiving travelers trying to return home.
“Travel will be extremely difficult and hazardous this weekend, especially in areas where multiple feet of snow may accumulate very quickly,” the National Weather Service said Saturday.
This week’s blast of frigid Arctic air also brought bitterly cold temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees below average to the Northern Plains, the weather service said. That prompted cold-weather advisories over parts of North Dakota.
Cold air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, the weather service said, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.
Parts of Michigan were equally battered by heavy lake-effect snow. A winter storm warning was in effect Saturday through Sunday for regions along Lake Michigan. An additional accumulation of snow of up to 14 inches was expected for the Sault Ste. Marie area. Travel could be difficult or impossible, the weather service said.
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While no snow is forecast in the Deep South, the temperatures have dipped below freezing.
“This is the start of our winter season,” said Sam Marlow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Atlanta.
“This morning, we got below freezing for almost all of north and central Georgia.” And in the mountains of northern Georgia, the temperature dipped to about 22 degrees.
“We are looking at the temps warming up during the day, getting up to about 50 degrees,” Marlow said.
By Tuesday morning, the low temperature could fall into the teens in isolated parts of Georgia, he said.
The Buffalo Bills called for volunteers to potentially shovel snow at Highmark Stadium, where over 2 feet of snow was possible before Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Last year, a major lake-effect storm forced the NFL to push back the Bills wild-card playoff home game against Pittsburgh from Sunday to Monday.