Drone video shows New York town buried after thundersnow jolts region with over 4 feet of snow
Copenhagen, a town nestled near Lake Ontario, bore the brunt of the storm, receiving a staggering 58.8 inches of snow over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Some areas, like Barnes Corners, have seen accumulations of over 5 feet.
Watch: Historic lake-effect snowstorm drops 4 feet on Copenhagen, New York
Lake-effect snow continues to wreak havoc on Thanksgiving travel. With nearly 5 feet of snow blanketing parts of the Great Lakes, even getting out of your driveway is a major challenge. Here's drone footage from Copenhagen, New York, on Monday.
COPENHAGEN, N.Y. – A historic winter storm, fueled by powerful lake-effect snow, has crippled portions of western and northern New York.
Copenhagen, a town nestled near Lake Ontario, bore the brunt of the storm, receiving a staggering 58.8 inches of snow over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Some areas, like Barnes Corners, have seen accumulations of over 5 feet.
Drone footage captured by storm chaser Aaron Rigsby reveals the immense scale of the snowfall in Copenhagen on Monday, showing the town buried under a thick blanket of snow.
On Saturday, a stunning display thundersnow was captured on camera in nearby Watertown. This rare meteorological phenomenon occurs when a thunderstorm develops within a heavy snow band, producing thunder, lightning and heavy snowfall.
PARALYZING GREAT LAKES SNOWSTORM PRODUCES RARE THUNDERSNOW, WATERSPOUTS
Thundersnow seen in Watertown, New York, on Saturday.
(Jake Johnson Properties)
A video captured by FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic on Saturday also showed the thundersnow in action in Blasdell, New York.
The region’s proximity to lakes Erie and Ontario makes it susceptible to heavy lake-effect snow events, but seeing it combined with thundersnow is a rare occurrence, the FOX Forecast Center said.
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.
The intense snow band off Lake Erie has caused widespread disruption, with Interstate 90 closed at times and numerous accidents reported.
Snowfall rates as high as 4 inches per hour have also overwhelmed road crews, making travel extremely dangerous.
As the snow bands shift south, the FOX Forecast Center said the threat of heavy snow now extends to the Rochester and Syracuse areas downwind of Lake Ontario. Authorities are urging people to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel.
This graphic shows the forecast snow totals from Wednesday, Dec. 4, through Thursday, Dec. 5.
(FOX Weather)
A change in the wind direction on Tuesday is expected to reduce snowfall rates ahead of the next storm system, which could reinvigorate the pattern by the end of the workweek.