An early morning “lake effect” winter storm dumped heavy snow on parts of western New York state Friday, with at least two deaths reported, travel disruptions and powder ice expected to accumulate through the weekend. Gales blowing from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario dumped 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 meters) or more of snow. Authorities said the deaths appeared to be the result of heart attacks from overexertion while clearing snow in hard-hit Erie County.
As temperatures dropped, the region’s first major snowstorm of the season materialized on Thursday and intensified overnight into Friday, well ahead of the onset of winter on December 21.Lake-effect gales unleashed sporadic bursts of heavy rainfall throughout the day, burying some areas in several feet of snow, and were expected to last through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
By Friday evening, the weather service reported 5 1/2 feet (1.7 meters) of snow measured in the Erie County village of Orchard Park, 15 miles (25 km) south of Buffalo, and more downwind of the frozen moisture. inland on Lake Erie. Accumulations of 3 to 4 feet and more were recorded in several nearby locations by late afternoon, while Buffalo, the state’s second-most populous city of about 278,000, woke up to nearly 14 inches (36 cm) Friday morning. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz reported a partial building collapse under the weight of the snow in Hamburg, but no further details were immediately available.
As the storm gathered strength, the weather service cited several instances of blizzards being accompanied by claps of thunder and flashes of lightning, a phenomenon called “thunder snow.” High winds and snow-covered tree limbs and power lines knocked out power to thousands of customers, and the storm also forced traffic closures along the New York Thruway and several other major highways.
All but five of the nearly 80 flights scheduled to depart Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Friday were canceled, Aviation Director Lee Weitz said.Still, many Western New Yorkers, used to bouts of harsh winter weather, seemed unfazed. A Twitter user who goes by the name @BuffaloSnowKing posted a video late Thursday of himself standing outside as his yard was covered in snow. “How can you not enjoy this weather?!” he tweeted. Road closures remained in effect across much of central Erie County as of early Friday, keeping motorists off the streets overnight. Mandatory restrictions have been lifted, at least temporarily, in lieu of travel advisories in northern and southern parts of the county, including Buffalo.
With snow falling at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour, plow crews struggled to keep roads clear and the strain of clearing the snow was too much for some. “Sadly, we have to report the passing of two Erie County residents with cardiac events related to the exertion of shoveling/blowing snow,” Poloncarz wrote on Twitter. Snowfall of this magnitude is not uncommon in western New York in November, when relatively warm Great Lakes waters can mix with cold upper-atmosphere air descending from the Arctic, according to the weather service. Illustrating the highly localized nature of lake-effect snow, accumulation levels varied widely across the region. Still, 11 counties remained under the emergency declaration issued Thursday by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Erie County closed its offices Friday, although essential employees were scheduled to report to work. The Buffalo Public Schools district, the state’s second largest serving 32,000 students, canceled all classes and closed offices Friday. The prospect of up to 4-1/2 feet of dust on the ground by the end of the weekend prompted the National Football League to move Sunday’s Buffalo Bills home game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit. The storm developed as temperatures in the region and much of the rest of the northern United States fell 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 10 degrees Celsius) below average for the time of year, said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center. in College Park, Maryland.
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