The National Weather Service (NWS) issued lake-effect snow warnings for three states on Friday morning as heavy snow continued to fall, making post-Thanksgiving travel hazardous.
Why It Matters
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The forecast comes as about 82 million Americans prepare to travel more than 50 miles from home this week for Thanksgiving. It emphasizes the necessity of rapid weather forecasts for travelers, as heavy snow can upset plans and cause unsafe travel.
What To Know
As of Friday morning, the National Weather Service had issued lake-effect snow warnings in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
During the colder months, the Great Lakes region frequently experiences lake-effect snow. It occurs when cold air travels over warmer lake waters, transferring moisture to the atmosphere, where it falls as snow. Lake-effect snowfall rates are high, averaging 3 inches per hour or more.
“A winter storm that brought snow to portions of the northern Plains and the Great Lakes will continue into the day Friday, with strong west to northwesterly low-level post-frontal flow across the Great Lakes helping to fuel heavy lake-effect snow showers,” the NWS said in a Friday forecast.
“Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches will lead to storm total snowfall upwards of 1-2 feet with locally higher amounts possible, particularly downwind of Lake Superior across the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan as well as downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario,” it continued.
In addition to the heavy snowfall, high winds may bring snow squalls with “dangerous, white-out conditions” in parts of the Northeast, according to the NWS.
New York is expected to receive the most snowfall, with the NWS office in Buffalo predicting up to 22 inches for the cities of Newark and Fair Haven on Lake Ontario’s shoreline.
Heavy snowfall is also expected in northeast Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania.
What Happens Next
The lake-effect snow warnings have already been issued and are expected to be in force until Friday evening or Saturday morning, depending on location.
The NWS said in a Friday forecast, “Conditions should begin to improve into Friday evening and especially by Saturday morning as the system moves further away from the region and the northwesterly flow subsides.”
