Blizzard warnings were in effect on Thursday, Feb. 27, with AccuWeather forecasters predicting feet of lake-effect snow in parts of upstate New York, including areas south of Buffalo and north of Syracuse.
State University of New York at Oswego cancelled all classes after 12 p.m. on Feb. 27 and on Feb. 28 due to the high winds and heavy snow. The cancellations were in effect at their main campus in Oswego and their Syracuse campus.
The dicey conditions were documented by student Kaitlyn Jesmonth on her walk home from class on Thursday, where visibility is shown to be very low and snow blankets the ground.
Powerful winds not only contributed to whiteouts, but also lead to property damage. The 50-mph winds in the area caused damage to a building under construction in Henderson, New York, according to another Oswego State student, Jake Rumowicz, who captured a video of tarps on the construction site billowing in the harsh winds.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert explained that lake-snow effect occurs when cold air travels over the comparatively warmer lakes and forms clouds that eventually produce snow. The term is regional and used in reference to the Great Lakes.
A blizzard is more than just heavy snow. “A blizzard is defined as a storm that brings sustained winds or wind gusts of 35 mph or greater and a visibility less than one-quarter of a mile for three consecutive hours,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski explained.
By 10:45 a.m. EST, the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Buffalo confirmed blizzard conditions had hit east of Lake Ontario.
The lake-effect snow was so intense on Thursday evening on the eastern shores of Lake Ontario that thundersnow was reported.
The blizzard conditions will continue east of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through Friday, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert.
Winds will begin to shift by Saturday, causing the dangerous conditions to lighten up. For the season, Reppert said this will be one of the highest, if not the highest, amounts of snow for the region.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The New York State Thruway Authority has been consistently reminding motorists over social media to stay safe on the snowy roads and in “treacherous” conditions.
 |
|
Buffalo Maintenance crews arrived at the scene of an accident on I-90 near exit 54 Thursday morning. The area was under a Blizzard Warning at the time. (Twitter/@NYSThruway) |
In the early hours of the morning on Thursday, the NYS Thruway Authority placed a ban on empty tractor trailers on I-90 from the Lackawanna Toll Barrier to the Pennsylvania state line. The ban was lifted on Thursday night.
By Thursday evening, Fredonia, New York, had reported wind gusts of up to 62 mph. In Maine where the remainder of the wintry storm was passing through, the highest recorded wind gust was 66 mph in Greenville.
 |
Temperatures east of Lake Ontario have hovered around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures reaching as low as the single digits, according to Reppert.
By Saturday night, the snow total of the area is still expected to reach 60 inches, Reppert said.
 |
NWS Albany reported that Cold Brook had a snow depth of 29 inches after rain turned to wet snow and lake-effect snow began.
In a moment of calm, the sky cleared just enough for a “fiery” sunset through the clouds above Lake Ontario while the blizzard carried on just north.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.