Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest forecast to be hit by snow and dangerously cold weather into next week – Business News

Photo: The Canadian Press

Snow is removed from the streets of Lowville, New York, on Saturday, November 30, 2024.

The first big snow of the season threatened to bury cities in New York along Lakes Erie and Ontario during a busy weekend of travel and shopping, while winter storm conditions could persist into next week and cause dangers. in the Great Lakes, Plains, and Midwest regions.

An outbreak of cold air in the Arctic will expand south and east and bring “dangerously cold wind chills” to the northern plains and upper Midwest, the National Weather Service said Saturday, while heavy snowfall with effect lake could make travel “very difficult or impossible” into next week.

“Temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees below average in parts of the northern plains and about 10 degrees below average in parts of the eastern third of the country,” the weather service reported.

Cold weather advisories were issued for parts of North Dakota on Saturday, and high pressure from central Canada will move south into the northern Plains on Monday. A frost warning will be issued for the central Gulf Coast states to the southeast, the weather service said.

Light to moderate snow was expected from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the central Appalachians on Saturday, with similar snow conditions over parts of the Northern Plains and upper Mississippi Valley and central Appalachians on Sunday, the weather service said.

In Michigan, heavy lake-effect snowfall in northern parts of the state was expected to continue into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Gaylord. Some areas of the Upper Peninsula could see up to 3 feet of snow from Sunday night into Monday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Lily Chapman.

As flakes began flying Friday, New York state forecasters warned that 4 to 6 feet of windblown and drifting snow could fall in Watertown and other areas east of Lake Ontario through Monday.

After an unusually light fall, 2 to 3 feet of snow was possible along Lake Erie and south of Buffalo from lake-effect bands notorious for hitting the region with snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches. per hour. Lake effect snow occurs when warm, moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold, dry air.

“The lake is 50 degrees (10 C). We’re about six degrees above where we should be this time of year, that’s why we’re seeing these strong lake effect events,” said Erie County Public Works Commissioner William Geary. “In the outlook for the next two weeks of December, we will probably see something else.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a disaster emergency for selected counties, allowing state agencies to mobilize resources. Rapidly deteriorating conditions Friday led to closures along Interstate 90, and tandem and commercial vehicles were banned from Interstate 86 in western New York and much of U.S. Route 219. starting Friday afternoon.

“There are currently a significant number of vehicles going off the road on 219,” Gregory Butcher, Erie County’s deputy director of preparedness and homeland security, said at an afternoon briefing.

All-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles were being stationed throughout the county to assist first responders if needed, Butcher said.

The Buffalo Bills asked for volunteers to shovel snow at Highmark Stadium, where more than 2 feet of snow was possible before Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Last year, a large lake effect storm forced the NFL to push back Bills wild card home playoff game against Pittsburgh Sunday-Monday.

“It’s going to be slow, there’s no doubt about that,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said, adding that the heaviest snow is expected to be over by kickoff.

Meanwhile, the team was preparing to play in any conditions.

“We’re trying to stay on top of it,” coach Sean McDermott said Friday.

The Bills are 9-2, their best start since 1992, and with a win on Sunday they would clinch their fifth straight AFC East title.

Lake-effect snow also covered parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in a system that is expected to last through the weekend. The area was covered in snow Friday afternoon, with some spots already measuring more than a foot of snow.

“We have this westerly and northwesterly flow regime and this cold air mass over the UP,” said Chapman of the National Weather Service. “So, it’s a pretty good setup for this long-duration lake effect snowfall event.”

Gusty winds, especially near the Great Lakes, have affected visibility in Michigan and Chapman urged caution on the roads.

Joe DeLizio, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord, said visibility on the roads was low but he was not aware of any major accidents so far.

“I haven’t heard much about problems, but obviously traveling is pretty difficult,” DeLizio said.