Great Lakes Region Prepares for More Snow
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Parts of the Great Lakes region saw new snow Dec. 2 and faced the prospect of even more this week after U.S. travelers battled harsh weather to get home after Thanksgiving, forecasters said.
Snow showers fell in western Michigan overnight, and heavier, persistent snow of up to a foot was expected to follow Dec. 2, the National Weather Service said. More snow is expected Dec. 4-5, along with gusty winds and freezing temperatures.
“Bands of lake effect snowfall will impact mainly lakeshore locations through the morning commute. This will lead to sudden changes in the visibility and snow covered roadways,” the weather service’s office in Grand Rapids, Mich., posted online early Monday.
Lake-effect snow warnings were in effect through the night of Dec. 3 in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania.
Arctic air will continue below normal temperatures across the eastern half of the U.S. early this week with heavy lake effect snow continuing downwind of the Great Lakes. High pressure over the western half of the U.S. will support mainly dry weather for much of the region with… pic.twitter.com/Wa5gPLK00J — National Weather Service (@NWS) December 2, 2024
Nearly 4 feet of lake-effect snow — caused by warm, moist air blowing across the Great Lakes — fell over the weekend on upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania and Michigan.
A blast of Arctic air last week brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the northern Plains, the weather service said. Frigid air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Dec. 2.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation and said parts of Erie County in the northwest received nearly 2 feet of snow. City Hall will be closed to the public Dec. 2-3.
Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow as bands rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet or more, said Lily Chapman, a weather service meteorologist.
Twenty-seven inches of snow fell northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s western reaches. More than a foot could fall over the eastern Upper Peninsula.
Written by Cara Anna, Carp;um Thompson and Jonah Bronstein. Thompson reported from Buffalo, N.Y., and Anna from Lowville, N.Y. Contributing to this report were Ron Todt in Philadelphia; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Conn.; John Wawrow in Orchard Park, N.Y.; and Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.
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