Arctic explosion continues to batter northern U.S., disrupting travel after Thanksgiving

An Arctic blast brought snow, frost and dangerously cold winds to the Northern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes, creating very difficult, if not impossible, travel conditions on one of the busiest days of the year, as millions return home from their Thanksgiving destinations. .

About 9 million people are under winter weather alerts across the country, with nearly 3 million in parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio under snow shower warnings. lake effect, triggered by a clash between the southward-moving Arctic explosion and the relatively warm lake water. .

More than 2.3 million people in parts of New York, Michigan, Minnesota and West Virginia are covered by winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories, with warnings indicating that weather conditions Heavy snow, ice and blizzards are almost certain. Advisories indicate that rapid accumulation of snow, freezing rain and blowing snow are likely.

Travel-preventing lake-effect snow bands once again formed downwind of the Great Lakes in northeast Ohio, far northwest Pennsylvania, and western New York and parts of northwest New York on Sunday, generating new accumulations and burying some places under feet of white stuff.

A location along the Black River in Jefferson County, New York, produced an accumulated snow reading of nearly 46 inches on Sunday, according to National Weather Service data. Silver Creek in Chautauqua County measured 32 inches of accumulated snow, according to the data. One spot in Calcium, a small community in upstate New York east of Lake Ontario, measured nearly a foot on Sunday alone, the weather service said.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in several counties on Friday, including Erie, Oswego and Allegany. Lake-effect snow will continue to fall in western and northern New York through Monday, where residents can expect 1 to 4 inches per hour, according to Hochul's office.

Hochul warned New Yorkers to avoid unnecessary travel. More than 100 National Guard troops have been deployed to Western New York to support local communities, she said in a statement.

A couple navigates their way through lake-effect snow in Hamburg, New York, on Saturday.

Interstate 90 in Western New York reopened to passenger vehicles Saturday afternoon after closing Friday, Hochul said.

Although the region was under a lake effect snow warning until Tuesday evening, Hochul said on Sunday evening that the ban on buses, commercial trucks and tractor-trailers would end at 2 a.m. Eastern Time.

The heaviest snow accumulations are expected east of Lake Ontario, where some isolated areas could receive up to 60 inches of lake-effect snow by the start of the week around the Watertown area, in New York State, the NWS said. The Tug Hill Plateau will be particularly hard hit, with an additional 1 to 3 feet of snow expected through Tuesday morning.

In the Buffalo Niagara Falls metro area, Orchard Park could receive 8 to 20 inches of snow before Tuesday morning. The weather service office in Cheektowaga, New York, which covers Buffalo, said Saturday that bands of lake-effect snow would be active in cities south of Buffalo overnight, with 2 feet of snow and extremely dangerous travel possible.

Sunday Night Football on NBC saw the Buffalo Bills beat the San Francisco 49s 35-10 to win the NFL's AFC East championship as snow fell at the Bills' home venue, Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

Home fans shoveled about 2 feet of snow that had buried the seats and aisles before the game. After the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen and coach Sean McDermott made angels on the field to celebrate the team's victory.

Lake-effect snow is expected to begin affecting central New York and parts of the Mohawk Valley region Sunday through Monday, according to Hochul's office. Snow accumulations could reach 10 inches in central New York, while the Mohawk Valley region could reach 5 inches.

Erie, Pennsylvania, recorded 30 inches of snow, the most so far, according to the agency. Federal forecasters said up to 6 feet of snow could cover the ground in northern Erie County by Tuesday. An additional 10 to 20 inches of snow can be expected in the city.

Drivers move slowly on a snow-covered Grandview Boulevard in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday.

Brenton Davis, executive of Eerie County, Pennsylvania, said at a news conference Sunday that private contractors had been hired to clear snow in the area. The county recommends that schools remain closed Monday and Tuesday, he said.

National Guard troops have been enlisted to transport those in need to county warming centers, Davis said.

Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Michael Carroll urged area residents to stay off the roads. “Give us today and tomorrow to put the transport network in order,” he said at the press conference.

The Cleveland Weather Service office said up to 18 inches of lake-effect snow was possible Sunday between the city and the Pennsylvania-New York border, which could affect travel throughout the snow belt, the region southeast of Lake Erie.

An additional 2 to 10 inches of snow will be possible through Monday, affecting cities like Traverse City, Marquette and Ironwood in Michigan and Milwaukee in Wisconsin.

Parts of eastern Kentucky and West Virginia remained under a winter weather warning Sunday morning as scattered snow showers persisted, according to the weather service. Charleston and Jackson, Kentucky, were included in these alerts throughout the afternoon, with an additional 1 to 2 inches of snow possible.

Frost warnings, watches and advisories were in effect for more than 4 million people through Sunday evening in southern Georgia and northern Florida. In Lake City and Gainesville, Florida, overnight lows will dip into the upper 20s and lower 30s.

Warnings indicate that a prolonged period of subzero temperatures are likely, watches indicate that such temperatures are possible in the coming days, and frost advisories warn that vegetation could be threatened by cold temperatures.

The Arctic blast also lowered temperatures Sunday, from the Northern Plains to the Midwest and East Coast, about 10 degrees below average, excluding wind chill, according to weather service data . In Dakota, highs reached the 30s and 40s, while much of the Midwest was in the 30s and 40s. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport recorded an unofficial high temperature of 28 degrees on Sunday , according to weather service data. In the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, highs reached the 40s.

Temperatures in the central and eastern United States will generally remain at or below freezing throughout the week.

Members of the grounds crew clear snow from the yard lines at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Nov. 21.

Earlier in November, the Transportation Security Administration predicted that Sunday would be one of the three busiest travel days of the year.

The weather service says lake-effect snow occurs when a cold air mass moves southward from Canada and beyond over the relatively warm Great Lakes, quickly carrying some of the water from the lake in the atmosphere, forming fertile clouds and generating snow at a rate of 2 to 3 inches or more every hour.

As of Sunday morning, the water temperature of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario was 46 degrees, measured at a depth of 30 feet or more, meaning surface temperatures were likely warmer, according to the weather service.

The effects of the Arctic blast were expected to ease early this week, but forecasters warned that colder air was still heading south, with a mass of Arctic air escaping southward from Canada.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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