() – Extremely cold temperatures – below zero in some areas – will sweep across a large swath of the United States this Sunday, while record lake effect snowfall will make subsequent trips to the Thanksgiving holiday are dangerous and almost “impossible” in parts of the Great Lakes region.
People in parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio faced cold temperatures and several inches of snow over the weekend.
Near Lake Erie in Conneaut, Ohio, where additional snow accumulation could reach up to 127 millimeters this Sunday, the roof of a home appeared to be covered in snow this Saturday, video shared with by resident Ashley Drew shows. The blue front door of the house was only partially visible behind a wall of snow, as the snow continued to fall.
Nearly 70% of the continental United States will feel the chill of sub-zero temperatures over the next few days. Some areas, such as New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Cincinnati, will experience below-average temperatures throughout the week.
In Amherst, New York, located in Erie County, freezing temperatures prompted authorities Saturday to issue a code blue alert, inviting anyone who needs shelter during the extreme cold to ask for help.
Erie County is among the 11 counties that are under a state of emergencyaccording to issued on friday by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in response to lake effect snowfall, which began Thursday night.
The declaration affects western and central New York, including the Buffalo area and many areas near Lakes Erie and Ontario.
“My Government is working around the clock to respond to the snow storm in western New York and the north of the country,” Hochul said this Saturday. “Our state agencies and more than 100 National Guard members are on the ground to support storm operations.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also called on the National Guard of your state this Saturday to help stranded motorists and ensure emergency services can reach anyone trapped, he announced on X.
The outbreak of Arctic cold moving south from Canada will cause temperatures across much of the eastern half of the U.S. to fall 15 to 25 degrees below average through the middle of next week, forecasters say.
“High temperatures are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees below average this Sunday and Monday from the northern Plains to the Ohio Valley, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average extending further into the southeast along much of the East Coast by Monday,” according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
Wind-driven cold air flowing across record-temperature waters in the Great Lakes is responsible for lake-effect snow that has already dumped up to tens of centimeters of snow in some places, according to forecasters.
Through Monday, another 12 to 24 inches of snow could fall in parts of Pennsylvania, northern Ohio and western New York. Watertown, New York, could receive 30 to 60 centimeters more snow, according to meteorologists.
“The greatest amounts of snow are expected in the lee of Lakes Erie and Ontario, affecting areas of northeastern Ohio, far northwestern Pennsylvania, western New York state, and parts of northwestern New York state.” , according to the Weather Prediction Center.
North East, Pennsylvania, a district of Erie County, recorded just over 106 centimeters of snow between Thursday night and Saturday afternoon, while Erie, Pennsylvania, received 79 centimeters. Barnes Corners, New York, saw 114 centimeters of snow this Saturday in the afternoon, according to the meteorological service.
Nearly two million people will remain under lake effect snow warnings through Monday morning.
Video showed several homeowners in Erie, Pennsylvania, shoveling large piles of snow by hand and using snow blowers to clear the mounds from their driveways and sidewalks as snow continued to fall Saturday, according to affiliate WICU.
Another video from storm chasers showed piles of cars buried under snow in Erie County, Pennsylvania.
Kathy Davis, a resident of Tug Hill in upstate New York, described Saturday’s heavy snowfall as a “good old-fashioned winter” in a video clip she shared with affiliate WWNY.
“This is what I remember from when I was a kid,” Davis said, according to WWNY. “It just keeps happening.”
Matt Eisert, 58, of Columbus, Ohio, said he was visiting his father in Erie, Pennsylvania, over Thanksgiving when his parents’ house became surrounded by heavy snow.
“We grew up here, so we were always used to lake effect snow, when the warm, unfrozen lake evaporates with cold winds blowing over it,” Eisert said.
The real estate agent said he still plans to return to Columbus sometime Sunday on a trip he expects to last more than three hours.
“I have blankets in the car, water, some protein bars. I always stock up on supplies and have a small survival kit in the car,” Eisert said.
Several highway traffic cameras showed snowy conditions on roads in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York on Saturday.
The Ohio Department of Transportation in Akron said 25 crew members worked around the clock in Ashtabula County as lake effect snow continued to fall in the county, where commissioners issued a state of emergency Saturday, the board posted of the county through Facebook.
Post-holiday travel will continue to be “very difficult or impossible” for some motorists, and forecasters are urging people to stay off the roads as blizzard conditions make driving “treacherous and potentially dangerous,” according to the National Weather Service office in Buffalo, New York.
“Delay all trips. If you must travel, drive with extreme caution,” the weather service warned on Saturday. Buffalo’s lake effect snow warning continues through Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills showed off the snow covering the field at their outdoor Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, in a Saturday X post. The team is scheduled to play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at night.
This Friday, the Bills began asking fans for help clearing snow from the field before the start of the game. Erie County officials in New York said Friday that they do not anticipate snowy conditions affecting the game.
Lake effect snow is likely until 4 pm (Miami time) this Sunday over Orchard Park, according to the New York State Weather Hazard Communication Center.
‘s Gene Norman, Allison Chinchar, Artemis Moshtaghian, Taylor Galgano and Sam Joseph contributed to this report.
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