In Pics | ‘Lake effect’ snowstorm paralyses parts of New York state

It is when frigid winds pick up moisture from warmer lakes and dump snow in narrow bands which is why the storm unleashed sporadic bursts given the peculiarities of lake-effect storms on Thursday. 

Photo: A cloud of snow crossing Lake Erie, New York, on November 18, 2022.  
 

As the storm intensified overnight on Thursday, the the National Weather Service citing several instances said that snow squalls were accompanied by claps of thunder and flashes of lightning, a phenomenon called "thunder snow."

Photo: Dark clouds hover over the Erie Basin Marina, Buffalo, New York, on November 18, 2022. 

Erie County in Buffalo, Executive, Mark Poloncarz, took to Twitter and confirmed reports that at least two people have died amid the ongoing storm after suffering cardiac events related to exertion during shovelling/snow blowing.

“We send our deepest sympathies and remind all that this snow is very heavy and dangerous,” he added. Furthermore, he had earlier also reported that a building had partially collapsed due to the weight of the snow in the town of Hamburg. 

Photo: Intense snowfall near the Buffalo City Hall, Buffalo, New York, on November 18, 2022

The squalls blowing in from Lake Erie and Lake Ontario had dumped 3 to 5 feet of snow, as the temperatures plunged and the region witnesses its first major snowstorm of the season well before the beginning of winter in late December, said the weather service authorities. 

Photo: Vehicles buried in snow are seen on the street during the snowstorm Buffalo, New York, on November 18, 2022. 

So far, schools have been shuttered, and train stations in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Depew closed on Thursday and Friday. Furthermore, amid high winds and heavy snowfall power lines got knocked out, affecting thousands of customers.

Meanwhile, the storm also forced traffic closures along the state's New York Thruway and several other major highways. At least five of nearly 80 flights scheduled to depart from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport were cancelled said aviation director, Lee Weitz. 

Photo: Residents walk on the street during the 'lake effect' snowstorm in Buffalo, New York, US on November 18, 2022. 

New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency on Thursday for parts of the state including communities along the western and the northwestern parts of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario which accounts for 11 counties as well as vehicles banned from stretch of Interstate 90.

"This is a life-threatening storm,” she said during a press conference, on Thursday, and went on to talk about the state officials preparing to conduct rescues. 

Photo: New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, thanking workers for the New York State Thruway following a press briefing about the impending snowstorm on Thursday, November 17, 2022 in Walden Garage in Cheektowaga, New York. 

One of the hardest hit parts of the snowstorm is Erie County in Buffalo, New York. According to the country's National Weather Service, the county was covered in five and a half feet of snow which is 25 km south of Buffalo and more directly downwind of the path of frozen moisture blasting inland off Lake Erie. The county also closed its offices on Friday while essential workers were asked to report. 

Photo: Zaria Black, 24, from Buffalo, trying to clear some snow off of her car on Friday, November 18, 2022. 

Parts of Buffalo were still under road-travel bans as of Friday morning, which had kept drivers off the streets overnight due to the snowstorm. However, mandatory restrictions were lifted for some time in the northern and southern parts of the county, including Buffalo. 

Photo: Cars drive along Ellicott Street amid the snowstorm on November 18, 2022. 

On Friday morning, the National Weather Service, said snow began to fall Thursday and continued overnight which could possibly leave Buffalo buried in more than four feet of snowfall the heavy snowfall is expected to lead to "near zero visibility, nearly impossible travel and damage to infrastructure."  

Photo: A person walking down the street during the snowstorm, in Buffalo, New York, on November 18, 2022. 

A family of four sleds across Forest Avenue in Buffalo, New York, on November 20, 2022. 

A man seen skiing in the aftermath of two days of lake-effect snow near the Lincoln Parkway in Buffalo, New York, on November 20, 2022

Resident of Buffalo ,New York clearing snow packed sidewalk in front of India Gate restaurant, on November 20, 2022. 

At a briefing on Sunday, New York Governor, Kathy Hochul said, "This has been a historic storm, Without a doubt, this is one for the record books."