Arctic blast sweeps across U.S. as Great Lakes region braces for lake-effect snow

Be sure to check local forecasts before hitting the road: Snowfall could disrupt post-Thanksgiving travel plans in the Northern Plains and Midwest, while about 9 million people are under frost warnings in the south.

In the Great Lakes region, a vigorous bout of lake effect snow is expected to last through the weekend before easing early next week. Six million people were under winter alert Friday, from northern Minnesota to upstate New York, where snowfall totals downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario were expected to reach 3 feet or more.

An arctic air mass is bringing the coldest air since last winter to the Plains and Midwest as well as the South and East coasts, according to the National Weather Service. This is expected to extend over the weekend and into the week.

Wind chills in the Northern Plains and upper Midwest will be below zero Saturday morning, and parts of North Dakota could see wind chills in the negative 30s to 40s, the weather service said.

On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency which went into effect immediately in Allegany, Erie, Cattaraugaus, Chautauqua, Genessee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wyoming.

At times the snowfall will be blinding, 3 to 4 inches per hour, and could be accompanied by thunderstorms, a rare weather event that combines a snowstorm with thunder and lightning. The heaviest snow accumulations will be east of Lake Ontario, where some isolated areas could see up to 60 inches of snow around the Watertown, New York area.

By Friday evening, snow totaling 20 inches or more had fallen in some areas along the shores of Lake Erie in three states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, according to the National Weather Service.

Erie, Pennsylvania, had the most at 30 inches, according to the agency.

Lake effect snow falls Friday in Lowville, New York. Cara Anna / AP

Road travel could be particularly difficult on Interstate 90 between Cleveland and Buffalo. The highway was closed in Pennsylvania Friday afternoon between Interstate 79 and the New York state line, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz of New York said at a conference press.

Other potentially affected arteries include Interstate 81, north of Syracuse, New York. The Sunday night showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills could be buried in snow because Highmark Stadium is in Orchard Park, a city expected to pick up between 12 and 18 inches, with higher amounts possible.

The Buffalo Bills posted on X Friday asking their die-hard fans, nicknamed the “Bills Mafia,” to sign up to shovel snow at the stadium.

Poloncarz said during the news conference that central and southern Erie County will likely be hardest hit, with the majority of snowfall arriving Saturday and Sunday. Central areas of the county could see between 2 and 3 feet of snow, while the southern area of ​​the county could see more than 3 feet, Poloncarz said.

Vacationers walk through downtown Woodstock, Vermont, during a snowstorm on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday. Robert F. Bukaty / AP

Police say winter weather was the likely cause of a crash on U.S. Highway 131 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Thursday evening that left people injured. Authorities did not provide a precise number of people injured in the incident. According to police, around fifteen vehicles were involved in the collision.

U.S. airports were packed with travelers heading to Thanksgiving destinations between Sunday and Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration safely moved more than 232,000 flights across the country between those days, a record number for Thanksgiving week. More than 52,000 flights carried passengers to their destinations on Tuesday alone.

Meanwhile, some 9 million people were under frost watches and warnings Friday across the South, from Texas to the Carolinas.

Meteorologists expect the coldest southern air to come, with an Arctic air mass spilling south out of Canada.

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