On one of the busiest days of the year, as millions of people return home from their Thanksgiving travels, an Arctic blast has brought snow, frost, and dangerously cold winds to the Great Lakes, the Midwest, and the northern Plains, making driving extremely difficult to impossible.
A collision between the south-moving arctic blast and relatively warm lake water has caused some 3 million individuals in sections of New York state, Pennsylvania, and Ohio to be under caution for lake effect snow showers, out of the approximately 9 million people nationwide who are under winter alerts.
Winter weather advisories and storm warnings are in effect for nearly 2.3 million people in areas of West Virginia, Michigan, Minnesota, and New York state. The advisories add that blizzard conditions, heavy snow, and ice are almost inevitable. According to the advisories, snow is expected to accumulate quickly, freeze, and blow.
The lake effect that prevents travel. On Sunday, snow bands formed again downwind of the Great Lakes across western New York, parts of northwest New York, northeast Ohio, and far northwest Pennsylvania, creating new accumulations and burying some areas under feet of snow.
On Sunday, the National Weather Service reported an accumulated-snow reading of about 46 inches at a point along the Black River in Jefferson County, New York. According to the data, Silver Creek in Chautauqua County had 32 inches of snow accumulation. According to the meteorological service, a spot in Calcium, a small village in northern New York east of Lake Ontario, saw approximately one foot of rain on Sunday alone.
On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul proclaimed a state of emergency in several counties, including Allegany, Oswego, and Erie. According to Hochul’s administration, people in western and northern New York can anticipate 1 to 4 inches of lake effect snow every hour until Monday.
Hochul cautioned New Yorkers against needless travel. In order to assist local communities, over 100 National Guard personnel were stationed in western New York, she stated in a statement.
After being blocked Friday, Interstate 90 in western New York was reopened to passenger traffic Saturday afternoon, Hochul said, adding that commercial trucks were remained prohibited from traveling in both directions along the westernmost portion of the interstate beginning at Exit 46. Western New York could see another 1 to 2 feet of snowfall, with south-central Erie and Chautauqua counties likely to see the largest accumulations.
According to the NWS, the largest accumulations are anticipated east of Lake Ontario, where isolated locations around the Watertown, New York, area may receive up to 60 inches of lake effect snow by the beginning of the week. With another 1 to 3 feet of snow predicted until Tuesday morning, the Tug Hill Plateau will be particularly heavily impacted.
Before Tuesday morning, Orchard Park in the Buffalo Niagara Falls metropolitan area may receive 8 to 20 inches of snow. In the Southtowns of Buffalo, bands of lake effect snow will be active overnight, with up to two feet of snow and extremely dangerous traffic possible, according to the weather service office in Cheektowaga, New York, which covers Buffalo, on Saturday.
According to Hochul’s office, lake effect snow is expected to start to reach central New York and portions of the Mohawk Valley region on Sunday and Monday. Central New York could see up to 10 inches of snow accumulation, while the Mohawk Valley might see up to 5 inches.
According to the agency, Erie, Pennsylvania, has received the most snow to date—30 inches. By Tuesday, up to six feet of snow could cover the ground in northern Erie County, according to federal forecasters. In the city, another 10 to 20 inches of snow is anticipated.
At a press conference on Sunday, Brenton Davis, the executive for Eerie County, Pennsylvania, announced that private companies have been engaged to remove snow from the area. According to him, the county is suggesting that Monday and Tuesday be kept as closed days.
According to Davis, National Guard members have been called in to drive individuals in need of rides to county warming centers.
Michael Carroll, the secretary of transportation for Pennsylvania, asked residents to avoid driving. “Give us today and tomorrow to restore order to the transportation network,” he stated during the press conference.
Travel in the snowbelt, the area southeast of Lake Erie, may be impacted by up to 18 inches of lake effect snow that could fall on Sunday from the city to the Pennsylvania-New York state border, according to the Cleveland weather service office.
Through Monday, places like Traverse City, Marquette and Ironwood in Michigan, and Milwaukee in Wisconsin could see an additional 2 to 10 inches of snow.
Winter alerts were still in effect for portions of West Virginia and eastern Kentucky. The meteorological service said that there were still sporadic snow showers on Sunday morning. Throughout the afternoon, these alerts were extended to Jackson, Kentucky, and Charleston, with an additional 1 to 2 inches of snow expected.
Through Sunday evening, almost 4 million people are under frost advisories, freeze watches, and warnings for northern Florida and southern Georgia. Overnight lows will fall into the mid 20s and low 30s in Lake City and Gainesville, Florida.
The watches indicate that temperatures below freezing may occur during the next day or so, the warnings indicate that prolonged subfreezing temperatures are probable, and the frost advisories warn that cold weather may endanger vegetation.
Sunday afternoon temperatures will continue to be 10 to 20 degrees below normal from the northern Plains through the Midwest and the East Coast. The Midwest will remain in the 20s and 30s, while the Dakotas will have single-digit highs. Highs in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic will be in the 30s to 40s.
Throughout the week, temperatures in the Central and Eastern United States will typically remain at or below freezing.
The Transportation Security Administration predicted earlier in November that Sunday would rank among the top three travel days of the year.
The National Weather Service issued winter alerts for almost 17 million people. On Saturday 3.5 million were under freeze warnings, 8.5 million were under winter weather advisories, 1 million were under frost advisories, and 3.6 million were under lake effect snow warnings.
A cold air mass moving south from Canada and beyond over the relatively warm Great Lakes swiftly draws part of the lake water into the atmosphere, creating fertile clouds and producing 2 to 3 inches or more of snow each hour, according to the weather service.
According to the weather service, the water temperatures in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario were 46 degrees apiece on Sunday morning when measured at a depth of 30 feet or more. This indicates that the surface temperatures were probably warmer.
Forecasters cautioned that colder air was still moving south, with an Arctic air mass spilling south out of Canada, even if the effects of the arctic blast were predicted to lessen early in the week.
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