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Erie County, New York got pounded with more snow overnight with an additional 2 feet expected to fall throughout Thursday. VPC
Greg Mitri shovels his way through nearly five feet of snow on Nov. 19 in the Lakeview neighborhood of Buffalo.(Photo: John Normile, Getty Images)
New Yorkers were blasted with round two Thursday of an epic storm that dumped more than 6 feet of snow and left eight people dead, dozens stranded, thousands of lives disrupted and surreal mounds of snow everywhere.
Much of northern and western New York will be hit by heavy snow through Friday, with an additional 2 to 3 feet possible, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Snow bands could shift more this time around, cutting down on huge accumulations for any one location, Weather Channel meteorologist Michael Palmer said.
"While the second round of lake-effect snow may be not be as long-lasting, nor as intense, winds may be much stronger this time," said AccuWeather meteorologist Elliot Abrams.
Winds could howl as high as 35 mph Thursday night and Friday, the National Weather Service warned, likely leading to blowing and drifting snow, slippery roads and poor visibility at times.
Heavy lake-effect snow will also plaster portions of Michigan over the next few days, the weather service said.
How does the lake effect work and why does it create so much snowfall? Shannon Rae Green explains. (News, USA TODAY)
Officials in hard-hit Erie County, N.Y., said an eighth person in the state died because of the snowstorm, suffering a "cardiac event" while trying to move a snow plow.
"It is an extraordinary situation," Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters after touring the region Wednesday and talking to truckers who had been stranded for more than 24 hours on the New York State Thruway. "It will get worse before it gets better."
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Epic snowstorm on track to set a record in Buffalo
Crews will keep working to clear streets as officials in Erie County encourage drivers to honor travel bans.
"Do not ask us to rescue you," Rich Tobe, deputy county executive, said. Nobody should be out in the community except essential personnel, he added.
Tom Wilson, 28, of West Seneca, N.Y. , waist high in snow, took advantage of a respite in the snowfall to try to shovel his way down a Buffalo, N.Y., sidewalk, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Carolyn Thompson, AP)
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About 400 vehicles in the area are working to help clear snow, Tobe said. Officials are also turning attention to collapsed roofs, particularly in West Seneca, where mobile homes are experiencing severe structural damage as a result of the heavy snow.
The state will provide additional support when the storm moves out Friday, only to be replaced by flooding concerns this weekend, when warmer air and rain showers are forecast. The extra weight of rain on top of the extreme lake-effect snow could compromise structures and cause localized flooding, the Weather Channel said.
Cuomo and local officials on Thursday also cast doubt on whether Sunday's Buffalo Bills game can be played, saying emergency personnel cannot at this point be committed to the game.
Such large snowstorms are rare, but comparable events have occurred before. New York State's record for a single snowstorm buried Oswego, N.Y., under 102 inches (more than 8 feet) of snow between Jan. 27-31, 1966, according to Weather Underground historian Christopher Burt.
Buffalo's single greatest snowstorm occurred Dec. 24-28, 2001, when 81.5 inches (almost 7 feet) accumulated at the official city weather service site at the airport. The same event also affected the Lake Michigan snow belt around Petoskey, Mich., where a state record for a single snowstorm dropped 85 inches between Dec. 23-29, 2001, Burt said.
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall on record in the Lower 48 states is 75.8 inches, which fell at Silver Lake, Colo., in 1921, according to the weather service.
Contributing: WGRZ-TV; The Associated Press
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