Winter Storm Causes Treacherous Travel in Great Lakes Region
Post-Thanksgiving travel was significantly disrupted in parts of the Great Lakes region on Sunday due to several feet of lake-effect snow, as frigid temperatures swept across much of the United States.
Over two million people in the area have been under winter weather warnings, with winter storm and lake-effect snow warnings in effect across areas of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario. Heavy snow was reported in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, with some regions receiving nearly four feet of snow over the weekend.
Copenhagen, New York, recorded 58.8 inches (nearly 5 feet) of snow by Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. Winter weather alerts are expected to continue through Tuesday morning for parts of western New York, northeastern Ohio, and northwestern Pennsylvania.
Additional snow, up to two feet, is expected through the first part of the week, with the heaviest snowfall predicted for areas downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario.
Cold temperatures are expected to persist, with nearly 70% of the U.S. experiencing temperatures below freezing in the coming days. Cities like New York, Chicago, and Atlanta are forecast to experience below-average temperatures for the week.
The Arctic chill sweeping southward from Canada is bringing temperatures 15 to 25 degrees below average, impacting much of the eastern U.S. into midweek.
In Erie, Pennsylvania, residents have been hard at work shoveling snow from driveways, while some plow drivers have even become stuck due to the intense snowfall.
Erie’s snow removal efforts are compounded by hazardous conditions that have led to numerous road incidents in Pennsylvania and New York, with state officials calling in the National Guard to assist stranded motorists and ensure emergency responders can reach those in need.
The winter storm has made travel “very difficult to impossible,” with whiteout conditions causing treacherous driving. Some motorists, like Janelle Kriegbaum, found themselves stuck in snow for hours, while others, such as Erie resident Richard Korytowski, spent several hours clearing snow from their driveways.
In western New York, road conditions worsened rapidly on Sunday, particularly from Adams to Watertown in Jefferson County. Meanwhile, in Ashtabula County, Ohio, snow continued to pile up, with some areas seeing over 40 inches of snow and more on the way.
Local authorities in Erie, Pennsylvania, and parts of Ohio and New York have issued travel warnings, urging people to avoid non-essential travel. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has closed several roads and reduced speed limits to allow snowplows to clear the roads.
In New York, commercial vehicles have been banned on certain portions of I-90, and the state police have assisted at least 110 disabled vehicles since Friday.
Despite the severe weather, the Buffalo Bills’ game against the San Francisco 49ers proceeded as planned on Sunday night. Crews and volunteers worked throughout the day to clear snow from Highmark Stadium, where nearly 25 inches of snow had accumulated by game time.
Fans were enlisted to assist in the snow removal efforts, ensuring the game went on as scheduled despite the adverse weather conditions.