A potentially historic storm is bearing down on western New York state, bringing treacherous snowfall that could damage infrastructure - CNN

CNN  — 

Thursday’s dense snowfall that has pounded parts of occidental New York authorities volition persist into Friday, erstwhile the worst of the perchance historical tempest whitethorn origin trees to topple and spot damage.

“The snowfall volition nutrient adjacent zero visibility, hard to intolerable travel, harm to infrastructure, and paralyze the hardest-hit communities,” the National Weather Service said Thursday. “Very acold aerial volition travel this event, with temperatures 20 degrees beneath mean forecast by the weekend.”

Areas eastbound of Lakes Erie and Ontario whitethorn spot snowfall astatine a complaint of much than 3 inches per hr and beryllium occasionally joined by lightning and gusty winds, the upwind work warned.

“That level of snowfall coming down with that strength is what creates the dangerousness the deficiency of quality to spot connected the roads,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday arsenic she declared a authorities of exigency for 11 counties.

“When its coming down astatine that rate, it is astir intolerable to wide the roadworthy to marque it harmless to travel,” Hochul said. “It volition not beryllium harmless for a sizeable magnitude of clip for motorists to spell backmost connected the roads.”

Commercial postulation has been banned since Thursday day connected astir 130 miles of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) successful the Rochester and Buffalo country to the Pennsylvania border, Hochul’s bureau said. Additionally, different portions of large interstates person besides been unopen down, including 90, 290 and 990.

As she implored residents to instrumentality caution this weekend, Hochul described the tempest arsenic a “major, major” snowfall lawsuit that could beryllium arsenic life-threatening as the November 2014 snowstorm that claimed the lives of 20 radical successful the Buffalo region.

Further, officials successful New York’s Erie County – which includes Buffalo – besides declared a authorities of exigency and banned driving opening Thursday night.

“The water effect snowfall from (the storm) is precise dense and whitethorn origin histrion branches to autumn and harm vehicles, spot oregon powerlines. Watch wherever you park, and beryllium alert of your surroundings if going outside,” Erie County officials wrote online.

The storm’s astir aggravated snowfall is expected to lash the Buffalo, New York, area, wherever much than 4 feet could pile, making for a historical forecast not seen successful much than 20 years. The city’s highest three-day snowfall is 56.1 inches, which occurred successful December 2001, per CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller.

And fixed the speedy complaint of snowfall, Buffalo whitethorn spot a month’s worthy of snowfall successful lone a fewer hours. That could marque this period the snowiest November since 2000, erstwhile 45.6 inches successful full fell successful the metropolis during the full month, Miller added.

Already, residents of Williamstown successful Oswego County adjacent Lake Ontario saw 24 inches of snowfall arsenic of Thursday evening, according to the upwind service.

In neighboring Oneida County, immoderate areas were blanketed with 14 inches of snowfall wrong the past 24 hours arsenic of Thursday evening, per the weather service.

Friday unsocial could bring much than 2 feet of snow, which would go 1 of the apical 3 snowiest days connected grounds successful Buffalo, according to Miller.

“Heavy water effect snowfall disconnected Lake Erie with 2-3” per hr snowfall rates volition proceed to effect successful highly hard question this evening for the Buffalo Metro country eastbound to Batavia, and besides successful Oswego County disconnected Lake Ontario,” the National Weather Service successful Buffalo said Thursday night.

Lake effect snowfall happens erstwhile precise cold, windy conditions signifier implicit a comparatively lukewarm water – meaning the water mightiness beryllium 40 degrees portion the aerial is zero degrees, Miller explained. The somesthesia clash creates instability, which allows for the astir utmost wintertime upwind to occur.

Due to the upwind emergency, Sunday’s NFL crippled successful Orchard Park, New York, betwixt the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns has been moved to Detroit, the league announced Thursday.

About 6 cardinal radical successful 5 Great Lakes states – from Wisconsin to New York – were nether snowfall alerts Thursday, CNN Meteorologist Dave Hennen said. Snow produced done water effect volition proceed done Sunday successful areas downwind of the Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service.

Other areas affected by the tempest see parts of the Upper Peninsula and the occidental Lower Peninsula of Michigan, wherever gusty winds and dense snowfall volition besides origin adjacent zero visibility and unsafe question conditions.