Heavy snow blanketed northern and western New York early Tuesday morning as a lake-effect snowstorm continued to move through the region, causing hazardous travel conditions, forecasters said.
The storm is steady, with a snowfall rate of more than an inch per hour, which combined with winds of up to 35 miles per hour, could produce blowing and sleet, meteorologists said.
Travel will be difficult across the region on Tuesday, with poor visibility. Heavy snow was expected to close roads, creating hazardous conditions for morning and evening commutes. As of early Tuesday, more than 3 million people were under a lake-effect snow warning from the eastern tip of Ohio through parts of northern and western New York.
On Monday, the heaviest snow fell south of Buffalo, said Joe Wegman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. The storm was expected to continue through Wednesday morning. He said people in the area should avoid “all travel” and let “the plows go out and do their jobs”.
Videos posted on social media were shown Very poor view and transportation At a standstill In the Buffalo area. New York State Thruway Authority was reporting Crashes, disabled vehicles and delays on east-west Interstate 90 across the state. AAA Said in X Service may be slow due to heavy snow and slick roads.
The worst of Tuesday’s snow was expected through the afternoon.
Forecasters said the heaviest accumulations will be east of Lake Ontario south of Watertown and on the Duck Hill Plateau. “Areas outside of the lake effect sometimes see nothing but passing snow showers.”
National Weather Service a Lake-effect snow warning Until 7 a.m. Wednesday in Jefferson, Lewis and Oswego counties.
A warning was in effect for northern Oneida and Ontaga counties, including Syracuse, with 14 inches accumulated between 7 a.m. and Wednesday.
Lake-effect blizzards occur when the Great Lakes are warm and still unfrozen for the season, and strong winds blow across them. Narrow bands of snow then accumulate quickly, making travel particularly treacherous, even in a region where residents are accustomed to harsh winter weather.
On Monday morning, shoppers flocked to the Lowville Farmers Cooperative in Lowville, N.Y., about an hour north of Rome, N.Y., to prepare for the storm, store controller Jennifer Garcia said.
Residents pay close attention when forecasts call for lake-effect snow because it’s hard to predict where it will be most intense.
During one such event last year, he recalled, workers who came from within a few miles of the shop were either covered in snow or covered in snow depending on which direction they were coming from.
“You never know how those bands are going to line up,” he said.
