Associated Press by CARA ANNA, CAROLYN THOMPSON, and JONAH BRONSTEIN
New York’s Orchard Park (AP) Residents of the Great Lakes region are facing the possibility of more snow throughout the week after U.S. travelers fought through severe weekend weather to return home after the Thanksgiving holiday, according to forecasters.
In addition to frigid temperatures and gusting winds, the National Weather Service predicted on Sunday that snow will fall in the area overnight into Monday morning and again on Wednesday and Thursday.
Over the weekend, portions of Pennsylvania and Michigan as well as upstate New York received several inches of lake-effect snow, including about four feet off Lake Ontario.
Narrow bands of frequently heavy snow are created on land when warm, humid air blows across a body of water and mixes with colder, dry air. This phenomenon is known as lake-effect snow.
On Sunday, December 1, 2024, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, Josh Allen, quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, dives for the goal line during an NFL game versus the San Francisco 49ers.(Photo by Adrian Kraus/AP)
Bills game played in wintry conditions
During Sunday’s midnight NFL game versus the San Francisco 49ers in Buffalo, New York, Flinty supporters mocked the flurries and freezing temps.
According to Bills of the NFL, the club would pay snow shovelers $20 per hour and give them hot beverages and food.
On Saturday, the lake-effect storm started to affect the area around the Bills stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Snow continued to fall intermittently throughout the day, even though by Sunday midday the storm had moved south of the stadium. Just before kickoff, flurries started to fall more severely. The temperature during the game was 27 degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind chill made it feel like 17 degrees. Playing the game was cold. Late in the season, the Bills frequently play at home in these kinds of conditions.
Tim LoTemple, a Rochester, New York, season ticket holder who is a member of the Bills Mafia, the team’s fervent fan group, claimed that the snow and frigid conditions energize the players and supporters. However, in comparison to past games at Highmark Stadium, the 49ers game was essentially mild.
Here, we adore snow. From a tailgate party in a parking lot, he declared, “You know how Bill’s Mafia is, we love the cold.” Compared to what we have already witnessed, this is nothing.
However, a cold-weather game is uncommon for Jake Dyer, an Indianapolis Colts fan traveling from Southern California.
Shoes were the one item for which I was unprepared. “My feet are cold, but I double up on everything else,” he stated. Extremely respectful of anyone who comes out. Anyone can watch this game from the comfort of their own chair at home.
According to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, a further 1 to 2 feet of snow might fall in western New York and another 2 to 3 feet in northern New York on Sunday.
On Saturday, November 30, 2024, a person in Lowville, New York, shovels snow off the sidewalk. (Cara Anna/AP Photo)AP
New York and Pennsylvania declare emergencies
The Northern Plains experienced frigid temperatures 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal last week due to a blast of Arctic air, according to the National Weather Service. By Monday, temperatures were predicted to be around 10 degrees below normal as frigid air moved across the eastern part of the United States.
Parts of northwest Erie County received about two feet of snow on Saturday, and more is predicted through Monday night, according to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who also signed a disaster emergency proclamation. On Monday and Tuesday, City Hall will be closed to the public due to the snow emergency in the City of Erie.
Michigan is battered
Bands rolling off Lake Superior buried areas of the Upper Peninsula beneath two feet or more of lake-effect snow, battering parts of Michigan, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Lily Chapman.
Northeast of Ironwood, in the western parts of the Upper Peninsula, there was 27 inches of snow. Chapman said on Saturday that the eastern Upper Peninsula could see more than a foot of rain through Monday morning.
Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia received a little coating of snow, which provided road crews with excellent practice and a lovely backdrop for Christmas decorations.
Low temperatures in the Appalachians are predicted to drop by 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit over the course of the next few days.
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Anna reported from Lowville, New York, and Thompson from Buffalo, New York. Contributions came from Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; and Ron Todt in Philadelphia.
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