Buffalo, New York (AP) During the busy U.S. holiday travel and shopping weekend, the first significant snowfall of the season covered parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The Great Lakes, Plains, and Midwest regions are expected to experience hazards due to the numbing cold and heavy snow that is expected to last through the early part of the week.
Authorities in Pennsylvania and parts of New York declared a disaster and an emergency, respectively, due to the snowstorm, warning of hazardous conditions for Thanksgiving travelers heading home.
The meteorological service issued cold advisories for portions of North Dakota after a blast of Arctic air brought frigid temperatures to the Northern Plains that were 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal. By Monday, temperatures were predicted to be around 10 degrees below normal as frigid air moved across the eastern part of the United States.
Parts of New York, Ohio, and Michigan received nearly two feet (61 centimeters) of snow, while the northwest corner of Pennsylvania received 29 inches (73 centimeters).
According to the National Weather Service, travel will be exceedingly dangerous and challenging this weekend, particularly in places where several feet of snow might swiftly fall.
Drivers take advantage of the lull between lake-effect snowfalls in Lowville, N.Y., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
Image: Cara Anna/Associated Press
The meteorological service said in an update on Saturday afternoon that the areas from northeast Ohio, far northwest Pennsylvania, western New York State, and parts of northwest New York State will be affected by the biggest snow totals, which were predicted to fall downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state spent days preparing for the storm by deploying snowplows and thousands of personnel and talking with energy companies in a phone interview with WWNY-TV on Saturday. She also sent staff to help from other areas of the state.
“I want to let them know that we are there with reinforcements and to make sure everyone can travel safely, especially over this really busy holiday weekend,” she said, adding that she was aware that everyone was used to it and could manage it.
Parts of northwest Erie County received about two feet (1 meter) of snow, and more are predicted through Monday night, according to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who also signed a disaster emergency proclamation.
According to officials, throughout the 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, Pennsylvania State Police responded to around 200 occurrences. Authorities blocked westbound lanes of the New York Thruway leading to Pennsylvania and a portion of I-90 in Pennsylvania.
Until further notice, only emergency responders, critical staff, and medical emergency cases are permitted to travel, according to the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. Due to the snow and slick conditions, stuck cars were obstructing streets and intersections. Residents were asked to stay indoors as crews cleared their neighborhoods.
Many tourists sought shelter in the lobby and corridors of a Holiday Inn close to I-90 in northwest Pennsylvania, where portions of some highways were impassable. Jeremiah Weatherley, a hotel employee, reported that staff provided them with blankets and unlocked the conference room.
“We don’t want to turn people away,” he stated, adding that they had just arrived.
Before Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills officials requested stadium snow shovelers for the season. The group promised to pay $20 per hour and supply hot beverages and snacks.
Lake-effect snow, which occurs when warm, humid air rising from a body of water combines with cold, dry air overhead, pounded parts of Michigan. According to Lily Chapman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Marquette, Michigan, bands of snow rolling off Lake Superior buried portions of the Upper Peninsula under two feet (61 centimeters) or more.
According to her, there was two feet (61 centimeters) of snow in Munising, in the eastern region, and another 27 inches (69 centimeters) in the western parts of the Upper Peninsula, just northeast of Ironwood.
Until Monday morning, lake-effect snow could bring more than a foot (30.5 cm) of snow to the eastern Upper Peninsula, and 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) or more to the west, according to Chapman.
According to Keith Berger of the weather service’s Gaylord office, Gaylord, Michigan, received 24.8 inches (63 centimeters) of snow on Friday, setting a new single-day record for the city in an area that is home to several ski resorts. March 9, 1942, set the previous record of 17 inches (43 cm).
For Treetops Resort, which has 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of ski hill terrain spread across 80 acres (32 hectares), the snowfall was welcome. According to Recreation Director Doug Hoeh, it strengthened the basis that snowmaking equipment will have before the resort’s season opens the following weekend.
We’re sort of digging out because, of course, that much snowfall is fantastic for the snow hills but horrible for the parking lots, Hoeh added.
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Callahan reported from Indianapolis, and Izaguirre from Lindenhurst, New York. U.S.-based AP reporters contributed.
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