The intensity of the storm varied widely due to the characteristics of lake-effect storms, which are caused by cold winds that pick up moisture from warmer lakes and dump snow in narrow bands. Residents in parts of Buffalo woke up to heavy snow, with occasional thunder, while just a few miles north, only a few inches had fallen overnight and there were patches of blue skies. Time-lapse video showed the snow party as the lake surrounded the city on Friday morning. CBS Buffalo affiliate WIVB-TV said snow was already falling at a rate of 3 inches per hour late Thursday night with up to 5 inches per hour possible. The worst snowfall so far has been south of the city. The National Weather Service reported more than 2 feet of snow in many places along the eastern edge of Lake Erie, with bands of heavier rainfall bringing nearly 34 inches to Hamburg, New York. Schools closed. Amtrak stations in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Depew were closed Thursday and will remain closed Friday. Many flights to and from Buffalo Niagara International Airport have been canceled. Zaria Black, 24, of Buffalo, drives her car away as snow falls Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. Joshua Bessex/AP Even before the snow started falling, the NFL announced it would move Sunday’s Buffalo Bills home game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit. Orchard Park, where the teams compete, had seen 2 feet fall by midnight on Friday. A car carrying a television news crew covering the storm got stuck early Friday and had to be pushed out of the snow by spectators, WGRZ reporter Alexandra Rios said on Twitter. “Our car got stuck after our 4:30 live stream,” Rios tweeted. “Then at some point about 6 people gathered to help us.” She said she was told that the people of Buffalo “always come together when someone is in need.” New York Gov. Kathy Hotchul on Thursday declared a state of emergency for parts of western New York, including communities along the eastern edges of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Hochul state of emergency covers 11 counties, with commercial truck traffic off a stretch of Interstate 90. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz issued a driving ban effective Thursday night, though it was downgraded to an advisory for the city of Buffalo on Friday. The heaviest snow was expected to last through Friday night, with more falling Saturday into Sunday. The band has made it north to downtown Buffalo! #nywx pic.twitter.com/QB3h2jhyKq — Chris Luft (@ChrisLuft25) November 18, 2022 The weather service also warned of snow accumulations of 2 feet or more in northern New York at the eastern end of Lake Ontario and parts of northern Michigan through Sunday. Lake-effect snow accumulations were also seen in parts of Pennsylvania. Buffalo has experience with dramatic lake-effect snowstorms, few worse than the one that hit in November 2014. This epic storm dumped snow on some communities over three days, collapsed roofs and trapped drivers in more than 100 vehicles in a lake section. of the New York State Thruway.
