Posted on 11/16/2022 5:40:01 PM PST by george76
A long-duration lake-effect snowstorm is expected to bury parts of western and northern New York, including the cities of Buffalo and Watertown, under up to 3 feet of snow into this weekend.
Bands of heavy snow are expected to develop to the east and northeast of lakes Erie and Ontario beginning Wednesday night and continuing right through Sunday, when the Buffalo Bills are scheduled to host the Cleveland Browns at Highmark Stadium in the Buffalo Southtowns.
Lake-Effect Snow Warnings have been issued from the Buffalo metro area southwestward into northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio
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This will be the start of a prolonged lake-effect snow event which will likely include paralyzing snowfall for the Buffalo and Watertown areas late this week through the weekend," the National Weather Service office in Buffalo
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3 feet of snow is expected to pile up by Sunday afternoon, with localized amounts of up to 4 feet not ruled out.
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More than 5 feet of snow crippled the Buffalo Southtowns, with South Cheektowaga tallying the most snowfall at 65 inches in just two days between Nov. 17-19, 2014.
Hundreds of major roof collapses and structural failures were reported, thousands of drivers were stranded, and there were scattered food and gas shortages due to impassable roads. Numerous trees also fell down due to the weight of the snow, causing isolated power outages where trees were toppled onto power lines.
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A 132-mile stretch of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) was shut down for several days from the Pennsylvania border to Rochester, New York.
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Rochester, some 70 miles east of Buffalo, averages 102 inches of snow each winter, while Syracuse – America's snowiest city – typically receives 127.8 inches of snow.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox5dc.com ...
I know Holiday Valley is not really in the classic snow belt area. They never did get as much snow as Kissing Bridge. I liked skiing there better, though..
Lake effect is a different critter.
Some areas have 5 feet and it’s still coming down. It’s a mess in a lot of areas. Potentially another 3 feet coming.
Yep - Snows not finished - another one coming in over weekend...some folks getting another 36 inches....
Looks like north of Buffalo is getting nailed now.
This is very unusual but the snow band is over from Kenmore/Tonawanda all the way up to Lake Ontario, hitting Niagara county.
https://apnews.com/article/buffalo-snow-stadium-bills-lake-effect-4850ac4fbede89e558d6d58425e8dd94
…According to the National Weather Service, the suburb of Orchard Park, home to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, reported 77 inches (196 centimeters) by early Saturday. About 80 miles (129 kilometers) northeast of the city, the town of Natural Bridge, near the Fort Drum Army base, reported just under 6 feet...
77” = 6 1/2 feet.
There was one lake effect event that lasted all weekend when we were in Upstate NY. The band passed back and forth over us a couple times a day dumping about 6”-8” each pass. By the end of the weekend, we went from zero snow on the ground to 4 feet.
Life in the snowbelt in NYS.
that blows my mind... and how long befor you can like go to the store? how do you shovel your walk to the driveway!!?? I’d be dead from cardiac arrest within minutes!! lol...
HoliMont Ski Club
My Uncle lived in Niagra Falls/Buffalo and snow like this happens quite a bit in their area. They just get dumped on.
Well, if you are smart (yeah I know that is presuming a bit much these days) and you live and grew up in the area, you prep for winter every year just on a general basis.
Then you just always keep an eye on the forecasts and when events like this are predicted, you go to the store ahead of time and stock up, and then just ride out the storm and clean up, which can take up to a week.
There is simply no place to plow 5-6 feet of snow to. Snow removal with those levels of snowfall required front loaders and a line of dump trucks for the front loader to load into, then the truck drives off to dump it in the Niagara River, and it comes back for the next load.
It’s a slow process.
That’s also why a state of emergency is often declared. It’s not because of freaking out over a couple feet of snow. It forces people off the road, gives the police some authority to enforce parking bans, and allows extra resources and funding to be allocated to clean up, hopefully, unimpeded by idiots out and about getting in the way.
Many people own snowblowers and often neighbors will pitch in to help others clear out their driveways with them if the neighbors don’t have snowblowers or kids. More enterprising teens will make some good money shoveling people out.
Also, you shovel as the storm progresses. You absolutely do NOT wait until it’s over. I can’t tell you how many times in my life I was out in the middle of a storm shoveling just to try to keep up with it.
I grew up in Buffalo and lives in the snowbelt north of Syracuse for about 20 years.
LOTS of experience with lake effect.
it stops pretty much once the lake feezes over doesnt it? if the lake freezes over that is...
Lake Erie does freeze over. It’s the only one that does because it’s so shallow.
And yes, that does stop the lake effect.
This is the time of year that the record breaking lake effect snowfall totals would occur. The amount of snowfall produced depends a lot on the temperature contrast between the lake water and air temperature. Fall is when the lakes are going to be their warmest and a shot of freezing air, like they are getting right now, and all heck breaks loose.
The other major factor is wind direction. If the winds are parallel to the axis of the lake, it allows for the maximum amount of water vapor possible to be absorbed into the air.
This particular event had all the necessary factors come together in just the right way and this is what they get. And the lake snow warnings are up until Sunday afternoon, so there is still time for them to get nailed.
The band is still pretty far north but the radar shows it starting to shift southward again to come back for a second or third try on the southtowns.
Yes, thanks
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