Lake-Effect Snow Continues to Hammer the Great Lakes

As has been predicted for days, a lake-effect snow event disrupted travel on a widespread scale across the Great Lakes as Americans headed home after the Thanksgiving holiday. Here is the latest on this lake-effect snow storm.

Lake-Effect Snow Machine Continues to Roar Across the Great Lakes

More snow is expected to fall across the Great Lakes heading into the new work week, complicating travel and making for a cold and wet Sunday night football game in Buffalo. The wintry weather is the result of the first meaningful lake-effect snow event of the young winter season.

The active weather pattern is forecast to linger into the early part of the week as the Arctic air from the north dives down and rushes over the still relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes. The forecast is calling for more bands of snow to form along the eastern and southern shorelines of these bodies of water, generating the possibility of near blizzard conditions.

The lake-effect snow machine got started on Friday with measurable snowfall reported in a zone from northeastern Ohio and into southwestern New York. How much snow has been measured thus far? As of late Saturday, parts of New York have seen 1 to 2 feet of the white stuff out of this weather maker.

It has been even snowier in Erie, Pennsylvania. The city on the shores of Lake Erie has seen snow accumulations of over 2 feet. The town of Cassadaga, New York was also hit particularly hard with more snow on the way.

Not surprisingly, the heavy snow triggered a number of road closures. Travel has been nearly impossible across some parts of interstates 90 and 86 in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania.

Gusty Winds Pair With Snow to Create Dangerous Road Conditions

These dangerous snow squalls are expected to continue to fire up along Interstate 90 in a zone from northeastern Ohio and into Pennsylvania and southeastern New York well into next week. Motorists are being advised to check road conditions before heading out. It is also important to note that conditions can change rapidly in a span of just a few miles due to the hit and miss nature of lake-effect snow.

In addition to the heavy snow, the weather pattern is also whipping up the winds across much of the Great Lakes. These gusty winds are pairing with the frigid temperatures to create life-threatening conditions for motorists who may get stranded on the roadways. Lastly, the combination of the wind and the snow will continue to deliver the threat of reduced visibility on the roads.

The first week of December is shaping up to be a bitterly cold affair for much of the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the Northeast. Arctic air will continue to march deeper into the U.S., sending the mercury plummeting. For instance, high temperatures are predicted to top out in the teens in North Dakota and northern Minnesota. The city of Minot, North Dakota is forecast to see a high of just 11 degrees on Monday.

Widespread afternoon highs in the 30s will be the norm for a large swath of land stretching from Illinois and Kentucky and over into West Virginia as the weekend comes to a close and the new week kicks off. The gusty winds will bring the real feel readings down even lower. Some parts of the interior Northeast will see gusts hit speeds of up to 30 mph at times.

The good news is that the winds will begin to die down on Monday. This will translate to speeds that fall about 10 to 15 mph lower than what was clocked over the weekend. While this may not seem like a big change, it will make a noticeable difference in the real feel readings.