VIDEOS: ‘Chaos’ ensues along Great Lakes as feet of snow piles up

ERIE, Pa. – The first bands of a significant lake-effect snow event began on Thanksgiving, and by the time the event subsides, communities around several of the Great Lakes will be measuring snowfall in feet, making travel impossible on some roadways.

The first issues were reported on Friday along the Interstate 90 corridor, east of Cleveland, where FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic observed vehicles becoming stuck and visibility severely reduced.

Near-whiteout conditions were also reported near the New York-Pennsylvania state line as holiday shoppers ventured out in search of deals.

In response, New York authorities closed parts of Interstate 90 between Buffalo and the state line as heavy snowfall overwhelmed snowplow crews.

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for nearly a dozen upstate counties as crews braced for the long-duration event.

Transportation cameras along I-90 captured video of vehicles temporarily stranded along the thoroughfare before being escorted off the roadway.

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FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel spent most of Friday in Mayville, New York, along the shore of Chautauqua Lake.

“It’s a good start to the lake-effect season – maybe a tad late, but epic because the lakes are so warm, near-record warmth. Temperatures this morning in Buffalo and down on the lakefront were in the low 50s, which is insane for this time of year. Typically, the water temperatures should be about ten degrees colder here in late November,” said Seidel.

More than 17 inches of snow had fallen in the region as of Friday afternoon, with another 2 to 3 feet expected over the weekend.

Seidel said that, unlike recent snow events, not much of the powder will melt due to an arctic blast encompassing most of the eastern half of the country.

The cold temperatures will likely keep much of the wintry precipitation intact until another storm system brings the possibility of more lake-effect-enhanced snowfall at the end of the first week of December.

Through the first 24 hours of the winter weather event, Girard, Pennsylvania, reported 25.7 inches of snowfall, while Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, recorded 23 inches.

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None of the weather observation sites reported thundersnow or a waterspout, although both were possible during the event.

Both weather phenomena are considered rare during the cold-weather season, but given the amount of warm air and atmospheric instability at the start of the event, both were distinct possibilities along the lakes.

In late 2022, a “once-in-a-generation” blizzard knocked out power to thousands and was linked to the deaths of at least 47 people in the Buffalo metro area.

Emergency services believe that conditions will not be as extreme as the historic event and say they are better prepared to tackle the winter weather threat.

“If we get one to two or two to three inches [per hour], we can handle that as long as the roads do not get blocked. If the roads get blocked, it becomes a problem. If it is snowing at a rate of three to four inches an hour, then we have a problem. So, if we can keep it as is and there is no excess traffic with people getting stuck on the roads, we should be able to get through this with no problem,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said during a Friday news briefing.

City and county officials have been in contact with the Buffalo Bills ahead of a crucial NFL match against the San Francisco 49ers, set to take place on Sunday night. However, officials indicated that there was nothing in the forecast that would force the postponement or alteration of the game’s schedule.