LOWVILLE, N.Y. | Heavy snowfall and numbing temperatures kept parts of the U.S. in a deep freeze Sunday as the Thanksgiving holiday weekend draws to a close.
Despite the Arctic-type weather, however, snowmobilers and skiers are reveling in their respective wintry terrains, and weather forecasters gave possible good news ahead of the NFL game in Buffalo.
In Buffalo, officials with the NFL’s Bills had sought stadium snow shovelers for the season, including ahead of Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. The team said it would pay $20 per hour and provide food and hot drinks.
A lake-effect storm began hitting the area Saturday near the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Snow was continuing to fall near the stadium just hours ahead of the game, according to the State Weather Risk Communication Center in New York.
“Snowfall totals will be highly dependent on whether the current lake effect snow shifts just south of the stadium, or remains in place over the stadium longer,” the center posted on X.
A blast of Arctic air late last week brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains, the National Weather Service said, prompting cold advisories for parts of North Dakota. Frigid air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.
PHOTOS: Heavy snow and numbing temperatures keep parts of the US in a deep freeze
Officials in Erie, Pennsylvania, said Sunday that the heavy lake-effect snow has produced “treacherous” conditions that are causing even snowplows to get stuck as they work around the clock to try to clear city roads.
The city estimated Sunday morning that there were “about 100 cars throughout the city that are blocking roads and need to be towed out of the way so plows can get through.”
Commercial vehicles remained banned in both directions of I-90 in western New York along a nearly 134-mile stretch to the Pennsylvania line. The National Weather Service said lake-effect snow was expected to continue east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario on Sunday, with additional snowfall of 1 to 2 feet possible.
In a phone interview Saturday with WWNY-TV, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state prepared for the storm for days by deploying snowplows and thousands of workers and consulting with utility providers. She also dispatched personnel from other parts of the state to assist.
“I know it’s something they’re all accustomed to and they can handle, but I want to let them know we are there with reinforcements and to make sure everyone can travel safely, especially over this really busy holiday weekend,” Ms. Hochul said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation Saturday and said parts of Erie County in the northwest received nearly 2 feet of snow with more expected through Monday night.
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. Authorities closed part of I-90 in Pennsylvania and westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania.
Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow, which happens when warm, moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead. Bands of snow rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet or more, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Marquette, Michigan.
Motorists were warned of potentially dangerous road conditions for holiday travel on Sunday.
“Expect rapid changes in traveling conditions in and out of snow bands, including snow covered, slick roads, and reduced visibility,” the National Weather Service said Sunday.
There were 27 inches of snow just northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s western reaches, and another 2 feet in Munising, in the eastern area.
Lake-effect snow could add more than a foot over the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, with 6 to 10 inches or higher to the west, Ms. Chapman said Saturday.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.