Feet of lake-effect snow for Great Lakes as arctic blast looms for days
Nearly 1.5 million are now under a Lake-Effect Snow Warning through Monday across parts of western New York, far northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario crank up the snow-making machine.
Several feet of snow possible along Great Lakes amid significant lake-effect storms
Some areas in western New York could see up to 4-6 feet of snow by the middle of next week, with 1-3 feet accumulations widespread downwind of the Great Lakes as an arctic blast blows across record-warm waters.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A significant lake-effect snowstorm is set to bury several towns bordering the Great Lakes with multiple feet of snow later this week, snarling post-Thanksgiving travel as the weekend draws to a close.
As a potent low pressure system moves out of the Northeast on Thanksgiving, the coldest air of the season will chase the storm out of Canada starting on Friday and sweep across the Great Lakes, which are currently experiencing record-warm water temperatures.
"This is going to be a long-fused event," NWS Buffalo lead forecaster Kirk Apffel told FOX Weather. "We're looking for Friday through at least Monday, there's going to be snow in the area."
(FOX Weather)
Nearly 1.5 million are now under a Lake-Effect Snow Warning through at least Monday across parts of western New York, far northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio as Lake Erie and Lake Ontario crank up the snow-making machine.
How much snow is expected around Buffalo and Watertown?
While current projections keep the heaviest snow just south of Downtown Buffalo, which remains in a Winter Storm Watch, the Lake-Effect Snow Warning does include Orchard Park, where the Buffalo Bills are scheduled to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Central and northern New York cities and towns along Lake Ontario, including Oswego and Watertown, are in the warning as well.
(FOX Weather)
Snow forecasts from the FOX Forecast Center show the heaviest amounts off Lake Ontario, with 2-3 feet of snow in Watertown between Friday and Wednesday, 3-4 feet in Lowville and 4-6 feet in Montague.
Off Lake Erie, Buffalo as of now is expecting about 3-5 inches, but total snow forecasts rapidly increase as you head south, reaching a foot in Hamburg and 2-3 feet in Dunkirk.
(FOX Weather)
Even farther inland will get heavy snow, with 12-18 inches likely in Pike and 5-8 inches in Warsaw.
How much snow is expected near Cleveland and Erie?
Those 2-3 foot snow forecasts carry farther south into Erie, Pennsylvania and even northeastern Ohio around Ashtabula.
(FOX Weather)
The Cleveland area is under a Winter Weather Advisory for up to 6 inches of snow, mainly in the northeastern suburbs.
Travel disruptions are likely, especially on Interstate 90 between Cleveland and Buffalo and on Interstate 81 north of Syracuse, New York.
WHAT MAKES A LAKE-EFFECT SNOWSTORM?
With water temperatures running 4 to 6.5 degrees above average, the arctic winds pick up the warmth and moisture from the waters and transfer it into the lowest portion of the Earth’s atmosphere.
This rising air condenses into clouds, which can grow into narrow bands that are capable of producing snowfall rates on the order of 2 to 3 inches per hour or more, according to the National Weather Service.
Great Lakes Temperature Departures
How much snow will fall across Michigan's Upper Peninsula?
Heavy snows are also likely across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northwestern Michigan as the chilly winds blow off Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan. But forecasts have wildly variable snow totals, ranging from 5 inches to as much as 2-3 feet, depending on where snow bands are set up.
"It really a lot of it has to do with the (winds) running down the length of the lake," Apffel said. "And sometimes you have a favored area where it will converge, come together, and that's when you can get some of those most intense bands. And when it's not running down the length of the lake, sometimes things tend to be more disorganized with multiple bands. So it is something that we can forecast, but it is challenging."
Potent lake-effect snow event ramping up around the Great Lakes over the weekend
NWS Buffalo lead forecaster Kirk Apffel joins FOX Weather to talk about the heavy snows coming to western New York including parts of Buffalo due to a strong lake-effect snow event starting Friday and lasting for days.
The Lake-Effect snow squalls are expected to last through the middle of next week, until another weather system comes along to change the wind direction. Suffice to say, it will be a very wintry week of weather along the Great Lakes.
In addition, the coldest air of the season will sweep across the eastern half of the nation, with around 230 million Americans feeling below-average temperatures into early next week.