Buffalo bracing for historic snowstorm; parts of Ontario to see up to 60 cm
Posted November 17, 2022 3:30 pm.
Last Updated November 18, 2022 1:11 pm.
Drivers in Buffalo and areas of western New York are being asked to stay off the roads as the region braces for massive, potentially historic amounts of snow this weekend.
The dangerous storm is paralyzing parts of the state and is expected to dump more than four feet of snow before the system moves out.
“This lake effect band has parked itself over parts of western New York,” says CityNews meteorologist Carl Lam. “That’s a lot of snow stacking up very, very quickly.”
Some parts of the region had already accumulated around 70 centimetres by Friday afternoon.
Even thundersnow decided to make an appearance!
Unofficial 33” on the back deck. For those playing along across the border, thats 84 cm. @WGRZ #StormTeam2 pic.twitter.com/p06ueUc7Eq
— Carl Lam (@CarlHLam) November 18, 2022
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Thursday for areas of the state on the eastern ends of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
“This is a snowstorm with potentially deadly consequences if people do not do the right thing,” says Buffalo’s mayor Byron Brown.
“If you don’t have to go out. Don’t go out.”
The National Weather Service said up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) might fall in some spots through Sunday, with periods of near-zero visibility. Other areas could get a foot (0.3 meters) or less of the lake-effect snow, which is caused by frigid air picking up copious amounts of moisture from the warmer lakes.
The city even experienced some ‘thunder snow’ on Friday morning. The most intense snowfall was expected to last through Friday evening, with more falling on Saturday into Sunday.
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A driving ban has been put in place for Erie County, home to nearly 1 million people. And commercial traffic has been prohibited on large stretch of interstate highways in the area.
Schools were cancelled for students in Buffalo on Friday. Amtrak stations in Buffalo and Niagara Falls closed Thursday, and will stay closed Friday, and a number of flights in and out of Buffalo Niagara International Airport were canceled.
The NFL has announced it will relocate the Buffalo Bills’ home game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit on Sunday.
In 2014, Buffalo saw a similar lake effect snow event that saw more than a dozen people die.
Parts of Ontario to see up to 60 cm of snow through the weekend
Some areas in Ontario will also be welcomed by a winter wallop this weekend, with weather patterns expected to drop upwards of 60 cm of snow in northern and southern parts of the province by Sunday’s end.
Environment Canada has issued snow squall watches and warnings for areas along the eastern ends of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, as well as off of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, ahead of a snowstorm that is expected to persist through the weekend.
Canada’s weather agency warns that some regions, including the southern Niagara Region, Kingston-Prince Edward, Grey-Bruce and Parry Sound-Muskoka, could see as much as 60 cm of snow by Sunday night.
Pretty quiet for #Toronto GTA but check out the snow squalls around us. Even some thunder snow in Buffalo this Friday morning pic.twitter.com/O2egsF80KA
— Jill Taylor (@JillTaylorCity) November 18, 2022
“An intense snow squall from Lake Ontario will continue to impact the area through early Sunday morning. Significant snowfall accumulations will be possible.,” reads the warning for Kingston-Prince Edward.
“Snow squalls are expected to persist through the weekend, with the most intense snow squalls expected (Friday), and again Saturday night into Sunday morning,” reads the warning for the Grey-Bruce region.
Environment Canada warns drivers in these area should expect hazardous conditions and reduced visibility as the storms persist.
Closer to the GTA, local snowfall amounts will range from up to 25 centimetres in the Barrie area by Saturday morning, with another 25 centimetres expected by Saturday night.
Toronto sits right in the middle of the expected worst hit parts of the province and will escape without high snow accumulations. Environment Canada is predicting anywhere from 1 to 3 centimetres in the GTA through the weekend as temperatures hover around the freezing mark.
With files from The Associated Press
