麻豆影视

Skip to main content

'Visibility will drop to near zero' in parts of New York state getting hammered with lake-effect snow

Heavy snow falls in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 16, 2022. (Source: Christopher Millette / Erie Times-News / USA Today via CNN) Heavy snow falls in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 16, 2022. (Source: Christopher Millette / Erie Times-News / USA Today via CNN)
Share

Parts of New York state are getting walloped Thursday by a snowstorm that could shut down roads and paralyze cities for days.

"This event will have the very real potential to produce a paralyzing snowfall that could be measured in feet for the Buffalo and Watertown metro areas," the National Weather Service in Buffalo said.

The ferocious snowstorm started Wednesday and is expected to cause treacherous road conditions at least through the end of the week.

"Visibility will drop to near zero at times and roadways will be covered with snow making travel hazardous to nearly impossible," the said.

The storm by Wednesday night had already dumped 10 inches of snow on South Wales, about 25 miles southeast of Buffalo. The nearby town of Colden got hit with more than 8 inches of snow, the said.

And the worst is yet to come.

The heaviest snow is expected to start Thursday evening and last through Friday, with more bouts of intense snow over the weekend, the weather service said.

"This is going to be a very long-lasting and major event east of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario," National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Hitchcock told CNN.

Areas downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario could get hit with thunder and lightning on top of the snowfall.

Several feet of snow also are forecast Thursday and Friday for the Buffalo and Watertown areas of New York and northwest Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service said.

The snow could fall at a rate of 3 inches per hour in some places, with snow piling up to 4 feet in some areas.

LAKE-EFFECT SNOW PUMMELS OTHER STATES, TOO

Some parts of Indiana and northeast Ohio have already picked up more than a foot of snow, CNN Meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

And more than 5 million people around the Great Lakes are under snow alerts Thursday.

The areas are getting hammered with lake-effect snow -- which happens when very cold, windy conditions form over a not-so-cold lake.

A lake, for example, might be about 40 degrees, while the air temperature could be well below freezing.

"That differential in temperatures creates some instability and the water provides a moisture source," CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller said. "When it gets over land, it deposits water vapor as snow."

'DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS STORM'

Commercial traffic will be banned starting at 4 p.m. Thursday on about 130 miles of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) in the Rochester and Buffalo area to the Pennsylvania border, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said.

Residents should take precautions -- and care of one another, the state's head of emergency services urged.

"Do not underestimate this storm," said Jackie Bray, commissioner for New York state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

"We should all check on our neighbors, particularly vulnerable neighbors, to help them prepare for winter weather in the forecast."

STATE OF EMERGENCY EXPECTED

New York's governor plans to issue a state of emergency Thursday, she said.

"My team and I are deploying emergency response assets ahead of the storm, remain in constant contact with local officials, and are laser focused on the forecast," Hochul said in a .

"New Yorkers should remain vigilant ahead of the storm and avoid any unnecessary travel during these hazardous conditions."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

NEW THIS MORNING

NEW THIS MORNING

New data shows the automated speed enforcement camera on King Edward Avenue, between Bolton Street and St. Patrick Street, issued 6,337 speeding tickets in August, the highest number of tickets issued by Ottawa's 40 photo radar cameras.

The Ministry of Labour is investigating a workplace incident that claimed the lives of two people in Georgian Bluffs, south of Owen Sound.

Bruzzese came down with COVID-19 in February 2023, and received her injection at the end of March. 鈥淏eing able to recognize smells is something we take for granted, until you can鈥檛.鈥

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.