By CARA ANNA and CAROLYN THOMPSON | Associated Press
LOWVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Heavy snowfall and numbing temperatures kept parts of the U.S. in a deep freeze Sunday as the Thanksgiving holiday weekend drew to a close. Some snowmobilers and skiers reveled in the wintry conditions, while flinty fans prepared for the NFL game in Buffalo.
In the remote Tug Hill region of upstate New York, where lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario can dump several feet of snow at a time, there was up to 46 inches.
“We just keep digging out,” said Kevin Tyo, a Barnes Corner businessman. “We were out all day yesterday, plowing.” Like many locals, he has a plow attached to his truck for winter, “and I have a tractor with a bucket, and a snowblower.”
His advice? “If you’re not used to it, stay home. If you’re out, slow down.”
Lake-effect snow is caused when warm, moist air is blown across a body of water and mixes with colder, drier air, creating narrow bands of often heavy snow on land. Pileups can be quick: The U.S. military’s Fort Drum, near hard-hit Watertown, New York, issued an alert saying up to 19 inches of daytime snow could fall Sunday.
Commercial vehicles remained banned in both directions of I-90 in western New York along a nearly 134-mile stretch to the Pennsylvania line.
Buffalo Bills kickoff set for Sunday night
In Buffalo, officials with the NFL’s Bills had sought stadium snow shovelers for the season, including ahead of Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. The team said it would pay $20 per hour and provide food and hot drinks.
The lake-effect storm began hitting the area Saturday near the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Snow was falling near the stadium hours ahead of the game, and the state department of transportation and others planned “intensive” plowing of nearby roads until late in the game. The Bills often play in such conditions at home late in the season.
A light snow continued falling on Highmark Stadium as crews began clearing the last remnants of snow off the tarp protecting the field about 3½ before the Sunday night game. Several shovelers were clearing the stairways, while most seats remained snow-covered. Crews used plows to clear the stadium walkaways. The parking lots surrounding the stadium were already cleared and salted.
Another 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in western New York, and another 2 to 3 feet possible in northern New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Sunday.
New York, Pennsylvania declare emergencies
A blast of Arctic air last week brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains, the National Weather Service said. Frigid air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation Saturday and said parts of Erie County in the northwest received nearly 2 feet of snow, with more expected through Monday night. Due to the snow emergency in the City of Erie, City Hall will be closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday.
Michigan is battered, too
Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow as bands rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet or more, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
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There was 27 inches of snow northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s western reaches. Over a foot could fall on the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, Chapman said Saturday.
A light dusting of snow fell across eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, making a beautiful backdrop for Christmas decorations and good practice for road crews.
Over the next few days, lows in the Appalachians are expected to dip between 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Thompson contributed from Buffalo. Ron Todt in Philadelphia, Sophia Tareen in Chicago, Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut, John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York, and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed.
