Up to 5 Feet of Snow Recorded in Parts of Great Lakes

The first lake-effect snow event of the season was a whopper. Up to five feet of snow has already fallen across portions of the region with more accumulation on the way. Here is the latest on this major multi-day lake-effect snow maker as well as what to expect this week.

Looking Back at the Weekend Lake-Effect Snow Accumulations

The National Guard had to be sent out to rescue stranded residents across parts of the Great Lakes over the weekend thanks to a monster lake-effect snow event. Portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York were the hardest hit areas of this particular storm as the start of the meteorological winter kicked off on Sunday. The snow buried some communities and created trouble on the roadways for Americans heading home after the long Thanksgiving weekend.

The wintry precipitation paired with a mass of frigid air that dipped down from Canada to trigger the lake-effect snow machine. While upstate New York, northwestern Pennsylvania, and the northeastern corner of Ohio got hit the hardest with the heavy snow, measurable accumulation was also recorded in parts of Indiana and Michigan as part of this system.

Travel was severely disrupted along Interstate 90 throughout the weekend. Several vehicles were stranded on this major interstate near Ripley, New York on Friday when the snow first got started. Some people were stuck on the clogged highway overnight. Another stretch of highway in Pennsylvania was also closed as the snow came down at a clip that was too fast for crews to clear.

Erie, Pennsylvania was in the bullseye of the activity. The city along the shores of Lake Erie recorded its snowiest day on the record books on Friday as 22.6 inches fell across the community. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro took action by declaring a disaster emergency and sending out the state's National Guard to help.

Due to the hit and miss nature of lake-effect snow, some areas in the Great Lakes missed out on the snow completely. For instance, downtown Buffalo only saw a few flurries while the nearby suburb of Orchard Park picked up over 26 inches of accumulation.