On Sunday, more than 4 million people in five states in the United States were under winter storm warnings. The heavy snow brought by the Great Lakes effect covered the Great Lakes region, prompting multiple states to declare a state of emergency and deploy the National Guard to rescue stranded drivers.
It is expected that there will be another day of heavy snow on Sunday, particularly in western New York, where over 40 inches of snow has already fallen since November 28th, with an additional 24 inches expected from Sunday to Monday.
As of Sunday, parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin have entered winter storm warnings.
Snowfall data shows that Barns Corner in Lewis County received 45 inches of snow, Perrysburg in Cattaraugus County received 37.6 inches, and Copenhagen in Lewis County received 36.5 inches.
At this time of year, heavy snow caused by the Great Lakes effect is common as cold air passes over relatively warmer lake waters, resulting in localized snow bands.
On Sunday, the Great Lakes effect snow warnings remain in effect from Cleveland, Ohio to Buffalo, New York.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo posted on social media on Sunday, “Today, the intense Great Lakes effect band stretching across Watertown and Jefferson County will continue to bring snowfall rates of 3-4 inches per hour.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Saturday that 11 counties in the state were in a state of emergency.
“My administration is working around the clock with our state agencies and over 100 National Guard members to provide support to the local communities,” stated Hochul.
In Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro also issued a disaster emergency declaration and deployed the National Guard to Erie County to rescue stranded drivers. Shapiro mentioned that the Pennsylvania State Police handled over 200 traffic accidents just from Friday, November 29th, to Saturday, November 30th.
Since last Friday, there has been significant snowfall in multiple counties in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Gaylord in Michigan received 24.8 inches of snow on Friday, marking the largest single-day snowfall on record, breaking the previous record of 17 inches set on March 9, 1942.
In the coming days, nearly 70% of the continental United States will continue to experience cold weather. Cities such as New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Cincinnati will see temperatures below average for the entire week.
The National Weather Service office in Buffalo, New York, stated that post-holiday travel will be “very difficult, if not impossible” for some drivers in the affected areas. Meteorologists urge people not to travel as the whiteout conditions make road conditions extremely dangerous.
(This article references reporting from ABC News and CNN)