CNN –
Thursday’s heavy snowfall that battered parts of western New York state will continue into Friday, when the worst of the potentially historic storm could cause downed trees and property damage.
“The snow will produce near-zero visibility, difficult or impossible travel, damage to infrastructure and will cripple the hardest-hit communities,” the National Weather Service said Thursday. “Very cold air will accompany this event, with temperatures 20 degrees below normal forecast for the weekend.”
Areas east of Lakes Erie and Ontario could see snowfall at a rate of more than 3 inches per hour and occasionally be accompanied by lightning and gusty winds, the weather service warned.
“This level of snow falling at this intensity is what creates the danger of the lack of visibility on the roads,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday when she declared a state of emergency for in 11 counties.
“When it goes down at that rate, it’s almost impossible to clear the road to make it safe,” Hochul said. “It will not be safe for motorists to return to the roads for a considerable time.”
Commercial traffic has been closed since Thursday afternoon on about 130 miles of New York State Highway (Interstate 90) in the Rochester and Buffalo area to the Pennsylvania border, Hochul’s office said . In addition, other parts of major interstates, including the 90, 290 and 990, have also been closed.
In pleading with residents to exercise caution this weekend, Hochul described the storm as a “major and significant” snowfall event that could be life-threatening like the November 2014 blizzard that claimed the lives of 20 people in the Buffalo region.
Additionally, officials in New York’s Erie County, which includes Buffalo, also declared a state of emergency and banned driving starting Thursday night.
“Lake-effect snow from (the storm) is very heavy and can cause downed tree limbs and damage to vehicles, property or power lines. Watch where you park and be aware of your surroundings if you go out,” they wrote Erie County officials online.
The storm’s heaviest snow is expected to reach the Buffalo, New York area, where more than 4 feet could accumulate, a historic forecast not seen in more than 20 years. The city’s highest three-day snowfall is 56.1 inches, which occurred in December 2001, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.
And given the rapid rate of snowfall, Buffalo can see a month’s worth of snow in just a few hours. That could make this month the snowiest November since 2000, when a total of 45.6 inches fell in the city for the entire month, Miller added.
Already, residents of Williamstown in Oswego County near Lake Ontario saw 24 inches of snow as of Thursday evening, according to the weather service.
In neighboring Oneida County, some areas were blanketed with 14 inches of snow in the past 24 hours as of Thursday evening, according to the weather service.
Here’s the latest on the movement of heavy lake effect snow bands on Lake Erie and Ontario. The band will reduce visibility below a quarter mile and produce snow rates of 3 inches/hr. pic.twitter.com/Z6g9yfB2ZJ
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) November 18, 2022
Friday alone could bring more than 2 feet of snow, making it one of Buffalo’s three snowiest days on record, according to Miller.
“Heavy lake effect snow on Lake Erie with 2-3″ per hour of snowfall will continue to cause extremely difficult travel tonight for the Buffalo metro area, east of Batavia, and also in County d ‘Oswego by Lake Ontario,” the National Weather Service said. in Buffalo said Thursday night.
Lake effect snow occurs when very cold, windy conditions form over a relatively warm lake, meaning the lake can be 40 degrees while the air is zero degrees, Miller explained. The temperature shock creates instability, which allows the most extreme winter weather to occur.
Due to the weather emergency, Sunday’s NFL game in Orchard Park, N.Y., between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns has been moved to Detroit, the league announced Thursday.
About 6 million people in five Great Lakes states, from Wisconsin to New York, were under snow warnings Thursday, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. Lake effect snow will continue through Sunday in downwind areas of the Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service.
Other areas affected by the storm include parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and western Lower Peninsula, where high winds and heavy snow will also cause near-zero visibility and unsafe travel conditions.