The latest in a stretch of powerful lake effect snowstorms was pummeling upstate New York on Tuesday, with forecasts calling for significant amounts of additional snow in the next two days.
The National Weather Service issued lake effect snow warnings for several counties in western New York, warning that some regions that border Lake Erie and Lake Ontario could see two more feet of snow fall between 10 a.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Thursday. Totals were expected to be much lighter further inland, though some communities were expecting about 6 inches of snow.
The latest snow comes on the heels of a lake effect storm that ripped through upstate New York on Monday and dumped 38 inches of snow in Lorraine, a small town about an hour north of Syracuse, according to the National Weather Service. That was the service’s most extreme report of snowfall, though two communities in Erie County reported they received more than foot.
Officials banned all travel in five communities near Buffalo, according to a news release from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, as the service called for whiteout conditions this afternoon. Officials also barred unnecessary trips in Erie County and Genesee County, both near lakes.
According to Cuomo’s office, the state Department of Transportation and state Thruway Authority have a combined 793 snow plows, 1,793 employees and more than 188,000 tons of salt available to clear roads. But officials urged motorists to avoid the roads if possible.
While New York was experiencing the most severe storms, it wasn’t the only place impacted by winter weather.
Northern Maine was under a winter storm warning, with the National Weather Service warning that 4 to 8 inches of snow was expected to fall before 10 a.m. Wednesday. Western Michigan was also under a separate winter storm warning with up to 4 inches of snow in Tuesday’s forecast.
The National Weather Service also issued winter weather advisories in parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan as lighter snow fell across those states.
Another storm in the Pacific Northwest triggered some winter storm warnings and advisories, and National Weather Service forecasts indicated some parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and California could see up to a foot of snow before Thursday evening.
