Weather

‘Snow will be measured in feet, not inches’: Buffalo braces for a potentially dangerous storm

The snowfall is expected to be at its greatest intensity between 7 p.m. Thursday and 7 p.m. Friday.

Shovel Brigade Mob volunteers Brett Lawton (front) and Chris Golino remove snow in front of a South Buffalo resident's home, Nov. 22, 2014. Aaron Ingrao / Reuters, File

By Associated Press

updated on November 17, 2022

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency starting Thursday in parts of western New York ahead of a potentially dangerous bout of lake-effect snow.

The National Weather Service forecast up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow or more through Sunday that “may paralyze” the hardest-hit communities, including Buffalo, with periods of near-zero visibility.

Let’s talk timeline.

This will be a long event, with heavy lake effect snow developing tonight and lasting all the way through the weekend. With the lake effect bands slowly changing orientations, no one location will see the heavy snow for the entire duration of the event.🧵

— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) November 16, 2022

Thursday night, the LE bands off both lakes will shift northward, impacting the Buffalo and Watertown Metro areas. The band off Erie will re-intensify as it does so.

The band off Lake Ontario intensifies Friday. Significant snowfall continues in these areas through Friday night. pic.twitter.com/pKr5P8NvxA

— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) November 16, 2022

Where the lake effect is the most intense and persistent, snow will be measured in feet, not inches. Travel within these bands will be extremely dangerous, if not impossible. This will especially be the case across the Buffalo Metro Friday and Friday night. pic.twitter.com/49mLsqLX6T

— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) November 16, 2022

Hochul’s state of emergency covers 11 counties, with commercial truck traffic banned from a stretch of Interstate 90 southwest of Buffalo after 4 p.m. Thursday.

The snowfall was expected to be at its greatest intensity between 7 p.m. Thursday and 7 p.m. Friday.

“I want western New Yorkers to take this seriously,” Hochul said.

The weather service also warned of accumulations of 2 feet (0.6 meters) or more of lake-effect snow in parts of northern Michigan through Sunday.

Significant & long duration lake effect snow event downwind of Lakes Erie & Ontario expected to begin this evening & continue into Saturday. 2-4″ per hour snowfall rates expected Thursday Night into Friday night with potential for 3+ feet total snowfall in parts of metro Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/2QTskR2DOM

— NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) November 16, 2022

[Morning Briefing] A blustery day under a mixture of clouds & sunshine with highs in the 40s. A brief rain/snow shower is also possible, but with no impact. A different story out in western NY where a major Lake Effect snowstorm may bring 3 to 4 feet in spots into the weekend! pic.twitter.com/1zed5CsT9o

— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) November 17, 2022