More Than 5 Feet of Snow in Buffalo Area, and More Is Expected

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Buffalo Snowstorm

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A storm lasting through the weekend is underway on the eastern coasts of Lakes Erie and Ontario, with snowfall rates reaching over three inches per hour.

Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Give this article Give this article Give this article

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As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.

143

By Jesse McKinley ,  Judson Jones and Michael D. Regan

Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The Times.

Nov. 18, 2022

BUFFALO — With Thanksgiving still days away, an unpredictable, late-fall snowstorm blew through Western New York on Friday, unleashing whipping wind and bands of snow as hundreds of thousands of residents hunkered down.

Heavy, wet snow that began on Thursday night crashed across a series of towns adjacent to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, including Orchard Park, where more than 66 inches had been recorded by Friday night. Snowfall rates of two to three inches an hour challenged even the hardiest of snow plows.

Roads and highways were closed around the region on Friday afternoon, including commercial traffic on parts of the New York State Thruway, the state’s east-west corridor. School days and other civic functions were canceled by the bushel. And at least two deaths were tied to cardiac arrest, according to the Erie County executive, Mark Poloncarz, who warned late Friday that additional snow was in the works for Saturday.

Buffalo, New York’s second-largest city, was spared the early brunt of the snow but was later boggled by swift changes in the storm.

An early respite in the city was quickly cut short when a band of midmorning snow suddenly led to whiteout conditions downtown. Cars crawled along city streets, braking — and sometimes brake-locking — at intersections, as plows tried to keep up with the snowfall.

The Skyway, a central north-south byway, was closed, and lights were off inside the ornate City Hall building and local courthouses.

Read More About Extreme Weather

Reversing Course: The Netherlands, a country long shaped by its overabundance of water, is suddenly confronting drought. Its population is hoping to engineer its way to safety .

Drying Out: The Mississippi River, known for its vast reach and powerful currents, has withered to levels not seen in decades , choking shipping lanes and endangering drinking water supplies.

Smoke Pollution: Smoke from wildfires has worsened over the past decade , potentially reversing decades of improvements in Western air quality made under the Clean Air Act, according to new research.

In a sign of the speed of the storm, some squalls were quickly replaced by calmer conditions, with sun pushing through overcast skies. Minutes later, clouds would return, confusing anyone seeking to make travel plans.

Snowfall records were threatened as drifts piled up: The most snow ever recorded in one single day in Erie County was 47.5 inches in a similarly precocious storm in November of 2014, an early blast that local officials were suggesting was a slightly — for now — worse version of this storm.

Earlier, fears of a “historic” storm led football officials to shift Sunday’s Bills game to Detroit, at the other end of Lake Erie, where the prospect of subfreezing temperatures was considered better than clearing snow off thousands of seats.

Enthusiastic snow-covered correspondents were a staple of local television, showing monster drifts on the streets south of Buffalo , which was bearing the worst of the precipitation.

In a midday news conference on Friday, city officials were stern in their warnings to residents, noting abandoned cars were littering some byways.

“We want no driving whatsoever,” said Mayor Byron Brown, saying that dozens of plows were trying to clear streets in south Buffalo, where a driving ban was in place.

Foreboding clouds continued to hang in the sky into dusk on Friday, with more snow and winds forecast, as a slate gray wallpaper hung over Lake Erie. The same storm system was also bringing snow on Lake Ontario’s eastern coast, north of Syracuse, where places like Tug Hill, long a standout in snowfall, was girding for significant accumulation.

And while Buffalonians are known for shrugging at big snows, taking pride in their ability to weather — yes, weather — even the worst of storms, some were already telling tales of storm mayhem.

Forest Richardson, 29, a security guard who lives in downtown Buffalo, was on his way to work to the city’s southside when his four-by-four vehicle “did a 360” and became stuck in a snow bank. It took him about 20 minutes to work his way free. He said he was going to turn around and go back home.

“I have this big old truck,” he said. “That’s when you know that it’s bad.”

David Notaro, 62, a maintenance man, was plowing the sidewalk in front of the downtown cafe where he worked and counting his blessings.

“Thank God we didn’t get what they said we were going to get,” he said, referring to an earlier forecast that downtown Buffalo would receive the brunt of the snowfall.

Instead, the storm shifted to south Buffalo, where fierce winds were making visibility difficult.

Kathleen Sieg, 32, was out shoveling the sidewalk in front of her home with her young son. School was canceled, and the packaging plant where she worked had also shut for the day. “I don’t know why people decided to drive in this,” Ms. Sieg said.

The Buffalo area was experiencing what is called lake-effect snow, which occurs when colder air blows over warm lake water. The air soaks up moisture from the lake like a sponge and creates bands of clouds, like in a thunderstorm, that release extreme snow over strips of land.

During these events, the heaviest snowfall sets up in very narrow bands, similar to the way that water from a fire hose is focused on one area at a time. So, if the wind shifts the band just slightly, the worst snowfall could fall on one side of town and not the other.

“Areas to the north of the City of Buffalo and the airport will likely receive little to no additional accumulation through the day,” the National Weather Service forecasters in Buffalo said early Friday morning. “The heaviest snow will be along a line from Lackawanna and Hamburg inland toward West Seneca and Cheektowaga and Lancaster.”

While the worst might not have hit the heart of Buffalo, the south side of the metro area could still see the “ paralyzing snowfall ” forecast by meteorologists at the National Weather Service.

Friday night, the fire hose of snowfall is expected to keep shifting northward through Buffalo and toward Niagara County.

On Saturday, “the day will start off with an intense, singular band of heavy lake effect snow across the city of Buffalo, the northtowns and Batavia,” the weather office forecasters said.

At least one recent transplant to Buffalo, a newly vibrant outpost once known for the Erie Canal and lost Super Bowls, was shaking her head at the sheer enormousness of the snow on Friday.

Darlene Brooks, 23, who moved here from Rochester last month, was supposed to be celebrating her birthday on Friday. Instead, she was digging out.

“Buffalo,” she said, “is coldblooded for doing this on my birthday.”

How Much Snow Will Fall Where You Live?

Type in your community to see the full range of possibilities in the next few days.

Jesse McKinley and Michael D. Regan reported from Buffalo.

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Extreme Weather. Weather Updates. Buffalo Snowstorm. Map: U.S. Wildfires. Advertisement. A storm lasting through the weekend is underway on the eastern coasts of Lakes Erie and Ontario, with snowfall rates reaching over three inches per hour. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Give this article Give this article Give this article. Send any friend a story. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. 143. By Jesse McKinley ,  Judson Jones and Michael D. Regan. Judson Jones is a meteorologist and reporter for The Times. Nov. 18, 2022. BUFFALO — With Thanksgiving still days away, an unpredictable, late-fall snowstorm blew through Western New York on Friday, unleashing whipping wind and bands of snow as hundreds of thousands of residents hunkered down. Heavy, wet snow that began on Thursday night crashed across a series of towns adjacent to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, including Orchard Park, where more than 66 inches had been recorded by Friday night. Snowfall rates of two to three inches an hour challenged even the hardiest of snow plows. Roads and highways were closed around the region on Friday afternoon, including commercial traffic on parts of the New York State Thruway, the state’s east-west corridor. School days and other civic functions were canceled by the bushel. And at least two deaths were tied to cardiac arrest, according to the Erie County executive, Mark Poloncarz, who warned late Friday that additional snow was in the works for Saturday. Buffalo, New York’s second-largest city, was spared the early brunt of the snow but was later boggled by swift changes in the storm. An early respite in the city was quickly cut short when a band of midmorning snow suddenly led to whiteout conditions downtown. Cars crawled along city streets, braking — and sometimes brake-locking — at intersections, as plows tried to keep up with the snowfall. The Skyway, a central north-south byway, was closed, and lights were off inside the ornate City Hall building and local courthouses. Read More About Extreme Weather. Reversing Course: The Netherlands, a country long shaped by its overabundance of water, is suddenly confronting drought. Its population is hoping to engineer its way to safety . Drying Out: The Mississippi River, known for its vast reach and powerful currents, has withered to levels not seen in decades , choking shipping lanes and endangering drinking water supplies. Smoke Pollution: Smoke from wildfires has worsened over the past decade , potentially reversing decades of improvements in Western air quality made under the Clean Air Act, according to new research. In a sign of the speed of the storm, some squalls were quickly replaced by calmer conditions, with sun pushing through overcast skies. Minutes later, clouds would return, confusing anyone seeking to make travel plans. Snowfall records were threatened as drifts piled up: The most snow ever recorded in one single day in Erie County was 47.5 inches in a similarly precocious storm in November of 2014, an early blast that local officials were suggesting was a slightly — for now — worse version of this storm. Earlier, fears of a “historic” storm led football officials to shift Sunday’s Bills game to Detroit, at the other end of Lake Erie, where the prospect of subfreezing temperatures was considered better than clearing snow off thousands of seats. Enthusiastic snow-covered correspondents were a staple of local television, showing monster drifts on the streets south of Buffalo , which was bearing the worst of the precipitation. In a midday news conference on Friday, city officials were stern in their warnings to residents, noting abandoned cars were littering some byways. “We want no driving whatsoever,” said Mayor Byron Brown, saying that dozens of plows were trying to clear streets in south Buffalo, where a driving ban was in place. Foreboding clouds continued to hang in the sky into dusk on Friday, with more snow and winds forecast, as a slate gray wallpaper hung over Lake Erie. The same storm system was also bringing snow on Lake Ontario’s eastern coast, north of Syracuse, where places like Tug Hill, long a standout in snowfall, was girding for significant accumulation. And while Buffalonians are known for shrugging at big snows, taking pride in their ability to weather — yes, weather — even the worst of storms, some were already telling tales of storm mayhem. Forest Richardson, 29, a security guard who lives in downtown Buffalo, was on his way to work to the city’s southside when his four-by-four vehicle “did a 360” and became stuck in a snow bank. It took him about 20 minutes to work his way free. He said he was going to turn around and go back home. “I have this big old truck,” he said. “That’s when you know that it’s bad.” David Notaro, 62, a maintenance man, was plowing the sidewalk in front of the downtown cafe where he worked and counting his blessings. “Thank God we didn’t get what they said we were going to get,” he said, referring to an earlier forecast that downtown Buffalo would receive the brunt of the snowfall. Instead, the storm shifted to south Buffalo, where fierce winds were making visibility difficult. Kathleen Sieg, 32, was out shoveling the sidewalk in front of her home with her young son. School was canceled, and the packaging plant where she worked had also shut for the day. “I don’t know why people decided to drive in this,” Ms. Sieg said. The Buffalo area was experiencing what is called lake-effect snow, which occurs when colder air blows over warm lake water. The air soaks up moisture from the lake like a sponge and creates bands of clouds, like in a thunderstorm, that release extreme snow over strips of land. During these events, the heaviest snowfall sets up in very narrow bands, similar to the way that water from a fire hose is focused on one area at a time. So, if the wind shifts the band just slightly, the worst snowfall could fall on one side of town and not the other. “Areas to the north of the City of Buffalo and the airport will likely receive little to no additional accumulation through the day,” the National Weather Service forecasters in Buffalo said early Friday morning. “The heaviest snow will be along a line from Lackawanna and Hamburg inland toward West Seneca and Cheektowaga and Lancaster.” While the worst might not have hit the heart of Buffalo, the south side of the metro area could still see the “ paralyzing snowfall ” forecast by meteorologists at the National Weather Service. Friday night, the fire hose of snowfall is expected to keep shifting northward through Buffalo and toward Niagara County. On Saturday, “the day will start off with an intense, singular band of heavy lake effect snow across the city of Buffalo, the northtowns and Batavia,” the weather office forecasters said. At least one recent transplant to Buffalo, a newly vibrant outpost once known for the Erie Canal and lost Super Bowls, was shaking her head at the sheer enormousness of the snow on Friday. Darlene Brooks, 23, who moved here from Rochester last month, was supposed to be celebrating her birthday on Friday. Instead, she was digging out. “Buffalo,” she said, “is coldblooded for doing this on my birthday.” How Much Snow Will Fall Where You Live? Type in your community to see the full range of possibilities in the next few days. Jesse McKinley and Michael D. Regan reported from Buffalo. Advertisement.