Watch: Feet of lake-effect snow piles up along Great Lakes paralyzing travel, prompting states of emergency
As of Monday morning, snowfall measurements reached 65.5 inches in Barnes Corners, New York, east of Lake Ontario. The town of Erie, Pennsylvania, set an all-time daily snowfall record at 22.6 inches Friday, with storm totals reaching 42.5 inches by Sunday night.
Lake-effect snow continues to slam Great Lakes after dumping more than 5 feet of snow in some cities
Epic snowfall totals have been reported in Great Lakes communities from Michigan to New York as a historic lake-effect snowstorm continues to pound the region. FOX Weather Storm Specialist and Meteorologist Mike Seidel was in Mayville, New York, on Monday, where snow continued to pile up after the Sun made a brief appearance earlier in the morning.
ERIE, Pa. – A high-impact lake-effect snowstorm has brought feet of snow to communities along the Great Lakes from Michigan to New York, and another foot or more of snow is likely to fall in some of those same communities by the time the paralyzing event concludes early this week.
This has made travel impossible on roadways across the region as millions try to get home after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Drone captures scenic views of Ohio blanketed in snow
Drone footage captured by Kelly Matter shows Lake County, Ohio, cloaked in white, a boat navigating a snow-lined river, and a dog joyfully frolicking in the thick snow.
The issues began Friday along the Interstate 90 corridor, east of Cleveland, where FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic observed vehicles becoming stuck and visibility severely reduced.
FOX Weather Storm Trackers help rescue stuck driver as snow pours along Erie highway
Storm trackers Corey Gerken and Brandon Copic teamed up along a very snowy interstate in Erie County, Pennsylvania to help pull a car stuck along the shoulder. "This was the third car we've rescued today so far," Gerken said.
Near-whiteout conditions were also reported near the New York-Pennsylvania state line as holiday shoppers ventured out in search of deals.
In response to the winter weather event, New York authorities temporarily closed parts of I-90 as heavy snowfall overwhelmed snowplow crews.
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Traffic remains gridlocked on side roads in Erie County as snow clogs highways
FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic shows drone video of State Route 5 in Erie County near the Pennsylvania/New York border where multiple trucks and vehicles have been stranded for hours.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro declared states of emergency for the areas near lakes Erie and Ontario and activated National Guard troops as crews braced for the long-duration event.
Transportation cameras along I-90 captured video of vehicles temporarily stranded along the thoroughfare before being escorted off the roadway.
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Heavy snow blankets Erie County, Pennsylvania
Several inches of snow cover Wesleyville, Pennsylvania during a significant lake-effect snow storm. (Video courtesy: Chris Jones via Storyful)
As of Monday morning, snowfall measurements reached 65.5 inches in Barnes Corners, New York, east of Lake Ontario. The town of Erie, Pennsylvania, set an all-time daily snowfall record at 22.6 inches Friday, with storm totals reaching 42.5 inches by Sunday night.
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Heavy snows blanket western New York during major record lake-effect snowstorm
Several inches of snow fell across North Collins, New York Friday.
A forecast from the National Weather Service office in Buffalo, New York, called for more than 6 feet of snowfall through Monday in the Watertown area, east of Lake Ontario.
Highmark Stadium, situated in Orchard Park, was under a Lake-Effect Snow Warning for Sunday night’s San Francisco 49ers vs. Buffalo Bills game. Weather observers measured storm totals of nearly 23 inches of snow by Sunday morning.
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Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and head coach Sean McDermott make snow angels while being interviewed after the Bills defeated the the San Francisco 49ers, 35-10, at Highmark Stadium on December 01, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images)
FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel said that, unlike recent snow events, not much of the powder will melt due to an arctic blast encompassing most of the eastern half of the country.
The cold temperatures will likely keep much of the wintry precipitation intact until another storm system brings the possibility of more lake-enhanced snowfall during the second half of the workweek.
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Watch: Crippling snow falls in Dunkirk, New York
The lake-effect snowstorm that has blasted the Great Lakes region is continuing on Sunday, and video shot from over the weekend shows crews hard at work removing snow from roads while other vehicles struggle to get around.
Through the first 24 hours of the winter weather event, Girard, Pennsylvania, reported 25.7 inches of snowfall, while Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, recorded 23 inches.
Watch: Plows working hard to clear snow from Pennsylvania roads
A video shared by FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic shows crews hard at work trying to clear snow from US 20 in Fairview, Pennsylvania, on Sunday morning.
Another video shared by Copic showed snowplows hard at work in Fairview, Pennsylvania, on Sunday morning, working to clear the snow from U.S. Highway 20.
Lake-effect snowstorm produces rare thundersnow, waterspouts
Watch: Thundersnow captured on video in Blasdell, New York
FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic was streaming live video from Blasdell, New York, on Saturday evening when thundersnow was reported and lightning illuminated the sky.
It wasn't only the epic snow totals during the long-duration lake-effect snowstorm that has raised eyebrows, as both rare thundersnow and waterspouts have been observed.
Both weather phenomena are considered rare during the cold-weather season, but given the amount of warm air and atmospheric instability at the start of the event, both were distinct possibilities along the lakes.
In late 2022, a "once-in-a-generation" blizzard knocked out power to thousands and was linked to the deaths of at least 47 people in the Buffalo metro area.
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Downtown Buffalo, NY on morning of December 26, 2022.
(Gov. Kathy Hochul / FOX Weather)
Emergency services believe that conditions will not be as extreme as the historic event and say they are better prepared to tackle the winter weather threat.