BUFFALO, N.Y. – The first big snowfall of the season blanketed parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan during the hectic U.S. holiday travel and shopping weekend, with numbing cold and heavy snow forecast to persist through the early part of the week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions.
The snow storm led to an emergency declaration in parts of New York and a disaster declaration in Pennsylvania, with officials warning of dangerous conditions for Thanksgiving travelers returning home.
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A blast of Arctic air brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains, the weather service said, prompting cold advisories for parts of North Dakota. Frigid air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.
Nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of New York, Ohio and Michigan and 29 inches (73 centimeters) was recorded in Pennsylvania’s northwestern tip.
“Travel will be extremely difficult and hazardous this weekend, especially in areas where multiple feet of snow may accumulate very quickly,” the National Weather Service said.
In an update Saturday afternoon, the weather service said the heaviest snow totals were expected “downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario, affecting areas from northeast Ohio, far northwest Pennsylvania, western New York State and portions of northwest New York state.”
In a phone interview Saturday with WWNY-TV, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state prepared for the storm for days by deploying snowplows and thousands of workers and consulting with utility providers. She also dispatched personnel from other parts of the state to assist.
“I know it’s something they’re all accustomed to and they can handle, but I want to let them know we are there with reinforcements and to make sure everyone can travel safely, especially over this really busy holiday weekend,” she said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation and said parts of Erie County in the northwest received nearly 2 feet (1 meter) of snow with more expected through Monday night.
Pennsylvania State Police responded to nearly 200 incidents during the 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, officials said. Authorities closed part of I-90 in Pennsylvania and westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania.
The city of Erie, Pennsylvania, said travel was limited to emergency responders and essential employees and cases of medical emergency until further notice due. The snow and slippery conditions resulted in stuck vehicles blocking intersections and streets. Residents were urged to shelter in place and allow crews to clear neighborhoods.
With parts of some roads impassable in northwestern Pennsylvania, scores of travelers took refuge in the lobby and hallways of a Holiday Inn near I-90. Hotel staffer Jeremiah Weatherley said workers opened the conference room and gave them blankets.
“They just showed up, and we don’t want to turn people away,” he said.
In Buffalo, officials with the NFL's Bills 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.
Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow, which happens when warm, moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead. Bands of snow rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Marquette, Michigan.
There were 27 inches (69 centimeters) of snow just northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s western reaches, and another 2 feet (61 centimeters) in Munising, in the eastern area, she said.
Lake-effect snow could add more than a foot (30.5 centimeters) over the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, with 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) or higher to the west, Chapman said.
Gaylord, Michigan, received 24.8 inches (63 centimeters) of snow Friday, setting a new single-day record for the city in a region dotted by ski resorts, said Keith Berger of the weather service’s Gaylord office. The previous record of 17 inches (43 centimeters) was set March 9, 1942.
The snowfall was good news for Treetops Resort, which features 80 acres (32 hectares) of ski hill terrain among its 2,000 acres (809 hectares). It boosted the base that snowmaking machines will increase before the resort's season opening next weekend, Recreation Director Doug Hoeh said.
“Obviously when you get that much snowfall, it’s great for the snow hills, but it’s bad for the parking lots, so we’re kind of digging out,” Hoeh said.
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Izaguirre reported from Lindenhurst, New York, and Callahan from Indianapolis. AP writers around the U.S. contributed.