Lake-effect snowfall forecast to accumulate high as five feet in the Buffalo area began dumping on regions of Upstate New York east of Lakes Erie and Ontario on Thursday into Friday as a high pressure system over Alaska pushed colder than temperatures into the lower 48, CNN reports.
“The snowfall will produce near zero visibility, difficult to impossible travel, damage to infrastructure, and paralyze the hardest-hit communities,” the National Weather Service said in a Thursday bulletin. “Very cold air will accompany this event, with temperatures 20 degrees below normal forecast by the weekend. Historic snowfall exceeding 4 feet is likely around Buffalo.” Snow was recorded falling at the rate of three inches an hour, accompanied by lightning strikes and strong wind gusts.
“That level of snow coming down with that intensity is what creates the dangerousness the lack of ability to see on the roads,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday as she declared a state of emergency for 11 counties and banned commercial travel on a number of highways. “When it’s coming down at that rate, it is almost impossible to clear the road to make it safe to travel. It will not be safe for a considerable amount of time for motorists to go back on the roads.”