Buffalo snow: Historic storm slams western New York with nearly 6 ...

CNN —

A historic snowstorm is slamming western New York state Saturday with more than 6 feet of snow in some places, closing roads, triggering driving bans and canceling flights the weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Another round of heavy lake-effect snowfall is expected to return to the Buffalo area Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. With most of the heavy snow bands falling over Lake Ontario, north of metro Buffalo on Saturday afternoon.

“Even though the band will be moving quickly, it is possible that additional amounts around a half foot or so could occur across the Buffalo metro area,” the National Weather Service said.

On Saturday afternoon, New York Governor Kathy Hochul touted the state’s storm preparedness and said crews have been working tirelessly to manage the situation.

“This is the effort we’ve brought together: bringing resources, people, equipment from all over the state of New York. And because we were so preemptive in this strike, we were able to avert many tragedies,” Hochul said.

She thanked western New Yorkers for shutting down major highways, implementing travel bans and staying home before the snow started to fall which helped prevent accidents, protect human life and ensure roads are safe and clear for emergency services.

Hochul said she is doubling the number of New York National Guard members on the ground in Erie County to check on residents and help with snow removal.

She is also signing a request for federal reimbursement through a Federal Emergency Disaster Declaration.

So far, snowfall totals of more than 6 feet have been recorded in two locations, according to the National Weather Service. Orchard Park, where the NFL’s Buffalo Bills play, has picked up 77.0 inches in the last 48 hours, and Natural Bridge, just east of Watertown, has picked up 72.3 inches; historic numbers for the area.

As the snowfall intensified, two county residents died from cardiac complications related to shoveling and attempting to clear the ground, said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

“We send our deepest sympathies and remind all that this snow is very heavy and dangerous,” Poloncarz said. “Please continue to avoid shoveling this very heavy, wet snow, and use caution and avoid overexertion if you must shovel today.”

Winter weather alerts are still in effect for over 8 million people across six Great Lakes states Saturday evening: Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Forecasters and officials have been sounding the alarm on the life-threatening nature of this snowstorm, which is historic even for the Buffalo region where heavy snow is the norm during winter months. And the forceful snowfall is expected to continue through the weekend with brief periods of relief.

Video Ad Feedback See snow building as New York faces historic snowstorm 01:48 - Source: CNN

Areas northeast of Lake Ontario – from central Jefferson County to northern Lewis County – were inundated with heavy snow late Friday, when the snowfall rate was up to 3 inches per hour, according to the weather service in Buffalo. Places between Watertown and Harrisville were also seeing treacherous conditions.

A travel ban is still in place for the entire city of Buffalo based on current and expected weather and road conditions, according to the Erie County website.

Dozens of flights arriving and departing from Buffalo Niagara International Airport were canceled as storm conditions worsened, according to the airport’s website.

This month is already Buffalo’s third-snowiest November at the airport thanks to the storm, according to the local weather service office.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told CNN on Saturday, while his city is used to heavy snow, this is “much more than we usually get.”

He said the city could return to “some sense of normalcy” by Monday or Tuesday, assuming the worst of the storm passes through by Sunday.

“This has been a very unpredictable storm with the snow bands moving, back and forth, north to south,” Brown said. “The snow has come down very fast, very wet, very heavy.”

A resident hits a rail off of a home-made snow kicker after a snowstorm near Hoyt Lake in Buffalo on Sunday. Libby March/AP Cars drive through blowing, drifting snow on McKinley Parkway in Hamburg in Erie County on Sunday. Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News/AP People snowshoe through snow covered streets on Sunday in Buffalo, New York. John Normile/Getty Images A snow plow works along a street during a break in the snowstorm hitting the Buffalo area in Orchard Park, New York, on Saturday, November 19. Carlos Osorio/Reuters Zach Brown shovels his walkway in the Elmwood neighborhood of Buffalo on Saturday. Libby March/The Buffalo News/AP Snow-covered trees line a street in Orchard Park during a break in the storm on Saturday. Carlos Osorio/Reuters Heather Ahmed shovels snow on Saturday. She is among many residents of the Buffalo, New York, area who have to dig out thanks to a historic storm. John Normile/Getty Images A van is seen buried under snow at night in Buffalo on Friday, November 18. Brandon Watson/The New York Times/Redux Jenny Vega, left, and Roberto Rentas shovel snow in front of their house in Buffalo on Friday. Brendan Bannon/The New York Times/Redux Residents push a stuck vehicle in Buffalo on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters Snow blankets homes on Friday. Libby March/AP Zaria Black clears snow from her car on Friday. Joshua Bessex/AP Emergency crews transport an ill patient amidst the snowstorm on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters A car sits in a snowdrift on Friday. Joshua Bessex/AP A man walks through the snow with a shovel on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters People help dig out a plow from heavy snow in Hamburg, New York, on Friday. John Normile/Getty Images A man uses a snowblower to dig out a vehicle on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters Residents walk in the snow on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters Buffalo's City Hall is shrouded during a snowstorm on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters Firefighters work the scene of a car accident on Thursday. Snyder Fire Department/Facebook A cloud of snow is seen crossing Lake Erie as extreme winter weather hits Buffalo on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters In pictures: Snowstorm hits western New York Prev Next

County official: Do not ignore travel bans

The colossal storm has been pounding the region for days, prompting local and state officials to issue states of emergencies to bolster response. But with a storm of this size, it only takes one or two vehicles to slow down clearing operations, Poloncarz noted.

“A reminder to all employers: if your business is located in a driving ban area or your employees are currently in a driving ban area, it is illegal to make them come into work,” Poloncarz said online.

The snowstorm, which came with a forecast for the Buffalo region not seen in more than 20 years, has been making travel miserable for many drivers, despite authorities’ emphasis on staying off the roads.

Good Samaritans help dig out a plow Friday in Hamburg, New York. John Normile/Getty Images

“I can say that our deputies have been just absolutely inundated with calls for service as it pertains to disabled motor vehicles and stranded motorists,” Erie County Undersheriff William J. Cooley said during a news conference Friday night. “We implore the residents to just, please, obey the travel ban, you become part of the problem very quickly when you’re out there on the streets.”

More than 300 citations were issued to drivers who violated the travel ban, Poloncarz said late Friday.

“Please, do not be the reason that an ambulance cannot get to the hospital,” he said. “There are many vehicles that are not only getting stuck but are just being abandoned by the owners.”

Christopher Middlebrooks and his son Mitchell Middlebrooks work to clear their driveway Friday in Buffalo. Libby March/AP

Snow has been falling for an extended period of time at a rapid pace, making it difficult for crews to respond.

“In some cases, we are going to far surpass 5 feet of snow and that’s in a 21-hour period of time,” said Bill Geary, the county’s public works commissioner. “It’s a remarkable amount of time.”

Aya Elamroussi Mallika Kallingal
Aya Elamroussi
Mallika Kallingal

Upon further review, January snowfall was biggest ever in NYC

Doyle Rice

USA TODAY

Upon further review, the mammoth blizzard that paralyzed the Northeast in January turned out to be the biggest ever recorded in New York City.

The storm dumped 27.5 inches in New York from Jan. 22-24, not the previously reported 26.8 inches, according to a report released Thursday by the National Weather Service.

That makes it an all-time snowstorm record for a location where records go back to 1869, only a few years after the Civil War ended.

The error stemmed from miscommunication between the Central Park Conservancy, which correctly measured the snowfall, and the weather service's New York forecast office, the report says.

The correct daily totals were 0.2 inch of snow on Jan. 22; 27.3 inches on Jan. 23, and a trace of snow on Jan. 24.

The weather service reviewed January blizzard data at eight locations from Washington to New York after questions arose about snow measurement techniques and whether snow records were accurate.

Other blizzard records at official snow measurement locations at New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports, as well as at airports in Philadelphia and the three in the D.C. area, were found to be accurate.

Measurements at Newark's airport, however, were not done correctly, calling into question the location's 28.1-inch record total. That total may be revised at a later date.

The blizzard dropped more than 40 inches of snow in some areas and set or tied 25 all-time, single-day snowfall records.

Nor'easter leaves behind power outages, heavy snow

Kevin McCoy and Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

Superstorm Sandy knocked out power to many on the East Coast

The nor'easter added snow to the mix of bad weather

Gasoline rationing begins today in New York City

The nor'easter that brought new woes to recovery efforts from Superstorm Sandy began moving off the New England coast at mid-morning Thursday, leaving behind new power outages, transport snarls and school cancellations from a night of high winds and heavy snow, including a record 4.7 inches in New York City's Central Park.

Meteorologist Frank Nocera said temperatures over the next couple of days will be in the 50s in southern New England, and on Sunday it could edge into the 60s.

Packing gusts as high as 54 miles per hour, the storm dumped significant amounts of snow in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York as it rolled through the tri-state area hit by Sandy early last week.

Clintonville, Conn., measured 13.5 inches of snow, the highest so far from the storm, AccuWeather reported. Freehold, N.J., followed with 13 inches, and Bronxville, N.Y., got 9.5 inches.

The 4.7 inches that draped Central Park overnight was 1.7 inches more than it has ever gotten this early in the winter since record-keeping began in 1869, AccuWeather reported.

Elsewhere in the tri-state region, downed tree limbs and overhead electrical lines triggered new power disruptions just as the area utilities was restoring thousands outages caused by Sandy.

Consolidated Edison reported 11,000 new outages late Wednesday, raising the total for New York City and the Westchester County northern suburb to 75,000.

"God hates us!" the New York Post's front page complained Thursday over the weather one-two punch.

New Yorkers are still recovering from the first punch. Friday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and officials on Long Island

decided to start rationing gasoline.

Gasoline will be available to drivers with license plate numbers ending in an

odd number starting Friday morning. Drivers with plate numbers ending in an even number can gas up on Saturday.

Bloomberg said Thursday that only 25% f the city's gas stations are

open. He estimated the tight gas supplies could last another two weeks.

In New Jersey, the new storm also added a layer of frustration for coastal residents and property owners still trying to clean up from Sandy's coastal devastation.

Work crews lined up to cross the bridge onto the Seaside Heights, N.J., barrier island while plow trucks cleared the roads of snow.

Billy Major, who owns an amusement park in Seaside Heights and a construction company, said his workers had been waiting in line at the bridge since 6 a.m., but had gotten no information from state and local officials as to when they could get back to work.

"I'm paying them to stand in line," Major said in frustration. "If they're not allowed in in a couple of hours, I'm sending them home."

VIDEO:Weather forecasting with hand puppets 60 years ago

Airports in New York City and New Jersey, meanwhile, reported delays of 15 minutes or less Thursday morning while winter weather and flood warnings were dropped as the nor'easter lumbered away.

But not before the snow and wind at times shut down the Long Island Rail Road and its Penn Station terminus in Manhattan during Wednesday night's rush hour and again into the night.

The shutdown stranded riders at closed stations far from home. Although the New York City subway system was running near normal on Sandy-modified routes, the LIRR warned of weather-related delays and cancellations Thursday morning.

"Can New York please get a break. Have no idea how I'm getting to school," one LIRR rider tweeted late Wednesday night.

But the storm also canceled or forced delayed openings for scores of schools, forcing parents to change work schedules already scrambled by last week's storm.

Under ordinary circumstances, a storm of this sort wouldn't be a big deal. But large swaths of the landscape were still an open wound, with the electrical system highly fragile and many of Sandy's victims still mucking out their homes and cars and shivering in the deepening cold. As the storm picked up in intensity Wednesday evening, lights started flickering off again.

Mark L. Fendrick, of Staten Island, shared his frustration with others on Twitter Wednesday night, saying, "My son had just got his power back 2 days ago now along comes this nor'easter and it's out again."

Ahead of the storm, public works crews in New Jersey built up dunes to protect the stripped and battered coast, and new evacuations were ordered in a number of communities already emptied by Sandy. New shelters opened.

Not everybody hunkered down.

Katie Wilford left her Brick Township home near Barnegat Bay as the nor'easter approached. She bundled her sons Nick, 14, and Matthew, 10, into the minivan in search of an open motel.

"It's a little overwhelming," she said. "I can't believe we're doing this again. We're going on Day 10 with no power. That's a long time. I just want the sun to come out and things to be normal again."

In New York City, police went to low-lying neighborhoods with loudspeakers, urging residents to leave. But Mayor Bloomberg didn't issue mandatory evacuations, and many people stayed behind, some because they feared looting, others because they figured whatever happens couldn't be any worse than what they have gone through already.

"I'm staying," said 61-year-old Staten Islander Iliay Bardash. "Nothing can compare to what happened Still, authorities urged caution. The city manager in Long Beach, N.Y., urged the roughly 21,000 people who ignored previous mandatory evacuation orders in the badly damaged barrier-island city to get out.

All construction in New York City was halted — a precaution that needed no explanation after a crane collapsed last week in Sandy's high winds and dangled menacingly over the streets of Manhattan. Parks were closed because of the danger of falling trees. Drivers were advised to stay off the road after 5 p.m. and part of the busy Long Island Expressway was shut down in both directions because of icing.

Sandy, which struck less than two days ago, killed more than 100 people in 10 states, with most of the victims in New York and New Jersey. Long lines persisted at gas stations but were shorter than they were days ago. By early Thursday, more than 292,700 homes and business in New York state were without power, and another 403,000 in New Jersey lacked electricity. In some areas, the numbers began climbing again Wednesday evening.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said damages and economic losses from Sandy were estimated to be $50 billion in the New York-New Jersey region, and $33 billion for New York alone. "That is a staggering cost," he said.

Contributing: Gary Strauss in McLean, Va., Oren Dorell, in Toms River, N.J.; The Associated Press

Drivers in western New York's Erie County still advised to stay off the ...

CNN —

Even by western New York standards, Friday’s snowstorm was colossal, bringing eye-level accumulation totals to some areas and prompting officials to tell many people who are used to driving in bad weather to stay off the roads.

“I can say that our deputies have been just absolutely inundated with calls for service as it pertains to disabled motor vehicles and stranded motorists,” Erie County Undersheriff William J. Cooley said at a news conference Friday night as heavy, wet snow continued to fall. “We implore the residents to just, please, obey the travel ban, you become part of the problem very quickly when you’re out there on the streets.”

Snowfall totals reached 5 feet in at least two locations. Orchard Park, where the Buffalo Bills had been scheduled to play their now-relocated NFL game Sunday, had snowfall totals of up to 66 inches by Friday evening. Blasdell, about eight miles from Buffalo, recorded 65 inches as of 8:30 p.m.

The storm had contributred to two deaths. Two Erie County residents died after suffering cardiac events related to shoveling or blowing snow, County Executive Mark Poloncarz said earlier.

“We send our deepest sympathies and remind all that this snow is very heavy and dangerous,” Poloncarz tweeted. At the news conference he advised residents to wait another day before trying to clear out the snow.

Buffalo’s highest three-day snowfall is 56.1 inches, which occurred in December 2001, CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller said. One area of the city reported almost 20 inches as of Friday morning.

“In those areas where the snow is falling that fast, it can be very dangerous,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told CNN’s “The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer.” “Fortunately, most of metro area Buffalo is in good shape. … South Buffalo has gotten hit extremely hard.”

Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, home of the Buffalo Bills, was blanketed Friday with several feet of snow. From Buffalo Bills

Poloncarz said the lake-effect snow event had hit the south towns of Buffalo “with a vengeance, very hard and all these communities are in a state of emergency at this point.”

As the region waited out the storm:

• As of Friday night, it was snowing 1-3 inches in the area, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

• Buffalo has a ban on vehicle travel in the southern part of the city and advisories elsewhere.

• According to FlightAware.com, about 70% of outgoing flights were canceled at the Buffalo airport, which has almost 13 inches of snow.

• The NFL earlier this week moved the Bills’ game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit. The team hopes to travel from Buffalo on Saturday.

• Hamburg, around 15 miles south of Buffalo, had almost 34 inches of snow by 8 a.m.

• Buffalo public schools were closed Friday. So are Erie County services.

Earlier, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Implored residents to take caution this weekend and described the storm as a “major, major” snowfall event that could be as life-threatening as the November 2014 snowstorm that claimed the lives of 20 people in the Buffalo region.

Hochul declared a state of emergency for 11 counties.

Nicole Erb told CNN early Friday afternoon: “It’s a mess out here,” in the backyard of her Orchard Park home.

She estimated she has about 4 feet of snow around her house.

This isn’t Erb’s first snow storm as she’s lived in western New York her entire life. “We know how to handle it,” she said, “It’s keeping people off the roads so plows can do their things, checking in with your elderly neighbors, and not using generators inappropriately.”

A man in Buffalo uses a snow blower to clear an area around a vehicle. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters

But even some of the people clearing roads were getting stuck, Poloncarz, the Erie County executive, said.

“There are vehicles stuck on roads who should not be driving. There are even some snow plows getting stuck in the worst parts of the storm,” he wrote on Twitter.

Firefighters respond Thursday in Snyder, New York, to a vehicle crash on I-290. Snyder Fire Department/Facebook

Commercial traffic was banned on the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) between exits 53 and 59, according to the agency that operates the highway. Other parts of major interstates – including 290 and 990 – were also shut down.

Officials in Erie County – which includes Buffalo – also declared a state of emergency and banned driving beginning Thursday night. Prohibitions on driving in the northern and southern part of the county were lifted Friday afternoon.

“The lake effect snow from (the storm) is very heavy and may cause tree branches to fall and damage vehicles, property or powerlines. Watch where you park, and be aware of your surroundings if going outside,” Erie County officials wrote online.

Residents of Williamstown in Oswego County near Lake Ontario saw 24 inches of snow as of Thursday evening, according to the weather service. In neighboring Oneida County, some spots were blanketed with 14 inches of snow in the 24 hours before Thursday evening, per the weather service.

A front loader digs out a supermarket parking lot Friday after the storm hit Hamburg, New York. John Normile/Getty Images

What to expect this weekend

The heaviest snow has shifted just a few miles south of the hardest hit region early Friday evening, according to CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward. But the snow band is expected to return back to the north later in the evening and even shift far enough north that downtown Buffalo gets into the heavy snow again overnight and early Saturday.

Much of the area gets a break by Saturday afternoon as the snow shifts even farther north. A final band comes through Saturday evening and into the overnight hours before snow tapers off early Sunday.

“Colder air will continue to pour across the region, resulting in a prolonged lake effect snow event, which will last through this weekend.” National Weather Service forecasters in Buffalo said Friday morning. “Two intense plumes of lake effect snow with snowfall rates of at least 3 inches per hour will continue northeast of the lakes through tonight.”

Lake-effect snow happens when very cold, windy conditions form over a relatively warm lake – meaning the lake might be 40 degrees while the air is zero degrees, Miller explained. The temperature clash creates instability, which allows for the most extreme winter weather to occur.

A cloud of snow is seen crossing Lake Erie on Friday. Lindsay DeDario/Reuters

Other areas affected by the storm include parts of the Upper Peninsula and the western Lower Peninsula of Michigan, where gusty winds and heavy snow will also cause near zero visibility and unsafe travel conditions.

Aya Elamroussi Steve Almasy
Aya Elamroussi
Steve Almasy

Battered Boston bracing for next round of snow

John Bacon

USA TODAY

The Blizzard of 2015 turned into Big Dig 2015 in Boston and across much of New England on Wednesday as shovel-toting residents greeted by bright sunshine began the arduous task of returning normalcy to the snow-encased region.

The 34.5 inches that fell in Worcester, Mass., made this week's snowstorm the biggest in the city's history. The 24.6 inches measured in Boston made it the city's biggest January storm on record.

And more could be on the way.

"It looks like we could have a rollicking weather pattern over the next couple weeks," AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Sobel.

The first round will be Friday, when Sobel said 2-4 inches — "just a nuisance" — are likely. Another storm is setting up for Sunday night and into Monday. Sobel said it was too soon to estimate what that would bring.

"Neither storm looks anything like what they are digging out of now," Sobel said. "But looking at the weather pattern it certainly would not surprise me if they see another major storm or two down the road."

Most Boston area school districts remained closed Wednesday, and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh urged residents to stay off roads as much as possible to allow access for plows and emergency vehicles. Walsh said he expected the city to be fully operational Thursday.

He shrugged off concerns of more storms.

"If there is snow on Friday, we will be out there," Walsh said Wednesday. "We will rebound. We live in Boston and we have to expect snow."

The region did slowly come to life Wednesday as roads began to open, flights resumed and trains, buses and subways ran on limited schedules.

Still, the relentless force of Tuesday's blizzard stunned even winter-hardened New Englanders. The snow was accompanied by wind gusts in excess of 70 mph. The entire island of Nantucket lost power for hours as the mighty storm blasted an area from eastern Long Island to Maine.

In Marshfield, Mass., the storm punched out a 40-to-50-foot section of a seawall. In Newport, R.I., it toppled a 110-foot replica of a Revolutionary War sailing vessel in dry dock, breaking its mast and puncturing its hull.

Lunenburg, Hudson, and Auburn Mass., each recorded 3 feet of snow, topping the storm's records from the National Weather Service. In Portland, Maine (23.8 inches) and Providence (19.1 inches), it was their fourth- biggest snowfall on record, according to the weather service.

"I had to jump out the window because the door only opens one way," Chuck Beliveau said in the hard-hit central Massachusetts town of Westborough. "I felt like a kid again."

Two deaths on Long Island were tied to the storm by police: a 17-year-old who crashed into a light pole while snow-tubing and an 83-year-old man with dementia who was found dead in his backyard.

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio fended off criticism that the city went too far in closing streets and public transportation in advance of the storm, which dealt the city a glancing blow. Still, Central Park was hit with a healthy 10-inch snowfall.

The storm "was real, and it was as big as it was projected to be, but it moved eastward, and thank God for that," de Blasio said in explaining the extraordinary precautions taken by the city. "So the bottom line is we got lucky."

The mayor said he would rather err on the side of caution than leave the city strapped. "Would you rather be ahead of the action or behind?" he asked. "Would you rather be safe or unsafe?"

Contributing: G. Jeffrey MacDonald in Boston; Doyle Rice and Greg Toppo in McLean, Va.; Associated Press

'Paralyzing' lake-effect snowstorm takes aim at western New York ...

Snowfall will be measured in feet, not inches, around Buffalo, New York, over the next few days as a potentially historic lake-effect snowstorm wallops the western part of the state.

Serious warnings: Even the normally staid National Weather Service described the upcoming storm as "paralyzing."

Even the normally staid National Weather Service described the upcoming storm as "paralyzing." Travel will be difficult to impossible , according to the weather service, which advises people to have an emergency kit in their vehicles before venturing out.

, according to the weather service, which advises people to have an emergency kit in their vehicles before venturing out. How to prepare: Officials are urging people to have enough food and water for the long-duration event and to stay off the roads once the storm starts, AccuWeather said.

Officials are urging people to have enough food and water for the long-duration event and to stay off the roads once the storm starts, AccuWeather said. Winds won't help: Winds gusting up to 35 mph will add to the wintry misery.

In addition to western New York, lake-effect snow is likely over the next few days in western and Upper Michigan, northern Indiana, northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania, Weather.com said.

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How much snow will fall in Buffalo?

While the weather service said up to 4 feet was possible in some areas, AccuWeather said an incredible 6 feet of snow was not outside the realm of possibility.

"Buffalo and its southern suburbs may receive as much as 3 to 6 feet of snow by Sunday," AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz said, adding that the heaviest snow may fall over two stretches – Thursday night into Friday and Saturday into Saturday night. "These two periods will likely feature the worst conditions of this event."

Snow could fall at rates of up to 4 inches an hour, AccuWeather said. The storm also could bring what's known as thundersnow, a thunderstorm that produces snow instead of rain, forecasters warned.

WHAT IS LAKE EFFECT SNOW:Here's how it happens and how much snow it can bring with it.

THUNDERSNOW:What is thundersnow and how does it form? Explaining how a thunderstorm can produce snow

The weather service has issued a Lake Effect Snow Warning for the Buffalo area on Wednesday. It will stay in effect through the weekend.

The area includes Orchard Park, New York, where the Buffalo Bills are scheduled to play the Cleveland Browns Sunday afternoon in what could be a classic NFL snow game.

What is lake-effect snow?

Lake-effect snow, which can last only a few minutes or up to several days, develops from narrow bands of clouds that form when cold, dry arctic air passes over a large, relatively mild lake.

As the cold air passes over the unfrozen and "warm" waters of the Great Lakes, warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere, the weather service said. The air rises, and clouds form and grow into narrow bands that produce 2 to 3 inches of snow an hour or even more.

"These early-season events can be potent, as lake water temperatures are still quite mild compared to the middle to the latter part of winter," Benz said. As of Tuesday morning, water temperatures for the Great Lakes were generally in the 50s. Meanwhile, air temperatures over the next few days will hover mainly in the 20s and 30s, forecasters said.

WINTER WEATHER:Snowstorm with frigid temperatures impacting about 20 states this week, winter weather forecast says

Lake-effect snow events in the Buffalo region have wreaked havoc across the metro area before, closing schools and highways for days on end. A snowstorm in November 2014 resulted in 26 deaths, the Capital Weather Gang said, most of them from heart attacks while shoveling snow.

Snow-inundated Buffalo faces more challenges in the aftermath of ...

CNN —

Days into the deadly winter storm that bedeviled much of the country, the challenges are far from over for residents and authorities in Buffalo, New York.

The death toll continues to climb as authorities check on homes and cars for anyone who was stranded in the storm. At least 31 people died in New York’s Erie County as the storm buried Buffalo in up to 50.3 inches of snow. At least 25 others across 11 US states have been reported dead in the storm.

“We’re, unfortunately, finding bodies on the street and in snow banks,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday evening.

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More than 7,000 utility workers were working around the clock to restore power in the area, navigating through broken trees and poles, according to Twitter posts from Poloncarz and National Grid US.

Local health officials were urgently responding to medical requests, including arranging transportation for people who need dialysis treatments – many of which were disrupted or delayed because of the storm. “Dialysis isn’t an optional or elective treatment. It has to be done regularly – several times a week – or that person dies,” the Erie County health department said.

Buffalo police, meanwhile, arrested at least eight people by Tuesday afternoon in connection with business break-ins during the storm.

And efforts of firefighters and other emergency vehicles working in the area were hampered by the hundreds of vehicles abandoned in the snow across Buffalo after fierce blizzard conditions made for blinding drives over the Christmas weekend, officials said.

A driving ban remained in effect in Buffalo amid a two-day effort to clear at least one lane on every street to accommodate emergency responders, Poloncarz said at a news conference.

“There’s a lot of roads that are completely blocked right now, that have no access whatsoever. And people are trying to drive on these roads or trying to get into these neighborhoods, and they can’t,” Poloncarz said.

“Please, please,” he said. “I’m begging: Stay home. If it’s an emergency situation, call 911.”

A weary Buffalo on Tuesday after days of winter weather that left parts of the city impassable. Joed Viera/AFP/Getty Images

Driving ban in effect; flood mitigation

Buffalo could see up to another half an inch of snow into Tuesday night and a daytime high of 30 degrees falling to 27 at night in New York’s second-most populous city.

But temperatures are expected to rise throughout the rest of the week, and local officials are worried that may cause flooding.

The flood risk is small, according to the National Weather Service, which said that snow melting alone “rarely causes flooding.” And even though there’s light rain forecast for the region, “it should take around an inch of rain from this system before flooding becomes a concern,” the weather service said.

Still, the leader of Erie County’s Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Services said crews were working to prevent any possibility of floods.

As temperatures warm, authorities wanted “to make sure that we are cleared from curb to curb and as in many areas as possible so that when it melts it can run off and it can find its appropriate drainage,” commissioner Daniel Neaverth said.

Other steps toward recovery include:

• President Joe Biden on Monday approved an emergency declaration for New York, freeing up federal resources to help disaster relief efforts in Erie and Genesee counties.

• One hundred military police from the New York National Guard are heading to Erie County, along with state police from other parts of New York, Poloncarz said. New Jersey state police will fill in for New York officers diverted to Buffalo, he said.

• Buffalo Niagara International Airport is expected to stay closed until late Wednesday morning, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said, after snow equipment was brought in from Pittsburgh to help it reopen.

• More supermarkets in western New York were expected to reopen after road conditions had paralyzed earlier efforts to distribute stockpiled ready-to-eat meals to food banks, officials said.

• Major highways – including the New York State Thruway, Interstates 20 and 990, and Routes 400 and 219 – have reopened, the state Transportation Department’s Rochester office announced.

It was a signal, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a tweet, “that we are finally turning the corner on this once-in-a-generation storm.”

‘Gut-wrenching’ effort to check on residents plods on

The storm in Buffalo has been deemed more ferocious than the blizzard of 1977, which left 23 people there dead. The weekend weather “was just horrendous,” Poloncarz said earlier. “And it was horrendous for 24 hours in a row.”

Indeed, blizzard conditions were recorded for 37.5 hours, CNN meteorologist Tom Sater said, noting, “That just doesn’t happen.”

Even emergency and recovery vehicles were at times stuck in snow. “We had rescuers rescuing the rescuers,” Buffalo Deputy Mayor Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney told “CNN This Morning” on Tuesday, adding those problems have been resolved.

Hundreds of vehicles were abandoned in the snow in Buffalo, New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven Nigrelli said, adding authorities were going door-to-door, car-to-car, checking for people.

A utility worker straps a rope to a truck in an attempt to tow another in Buffalo, New York, on Monday. Joed Viera/AFP/Getty Images

One reported death in Erie County was attributed to an EMS delay, while others involved people who were outside, in cars, had no heating or suffered cardiac arrest.

The death toll is expected to rise, officials have said. Once roads are cleared, law enforcement planned to prioritize welfare checks, Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said Monday.

“I have a bad feeling about that. I think the death toll is going to go up. When you have 420 EMS calls that are unanswered, it’s just gut-wrenching,” the sheriff said as his team planned to help get “people to doctors, nurses, to hospitals and … dialysis.”

By Tuesday evening, there were “just under 2,000” residents without power across Buffalo, Mayor Byron W. Brown said on Twitter, adding officials were still working to restore power to everyone.

Getting the lights back on has been no easy task as utility crews have faced dangerous weather conditions, Hochul said.

People and vehicles move about Monday on Main Street in Buffalo. Craig Ruttle/AP

More than 50 have died nationwide in storm

At least 56 storm-related deaths have been reported across several states:

• New York: In addition to the 31 deaths in Erie County, one fatal carbon monoxide poisoning has been reported in Niagara County.

• Colorado: Police in Colorado Springs reported two deaths related to the cold since Thursday, with one man found near a power transformer of a building, possibly seeking warmth, and another in a camp in an alleyway.

• Kansas: Three people have died in weather-related traffic accidents, the Highway Patrol said Friday.

• Kentucky: Three people have died, officials have said, including one involving a vehicle crash in Montgomery County.

• Missouri: One person died after a van slid off an icy road and into a frozen creek, Kansas City police said

• New Hampshire: A hiker was found dead in Franconia on Christmas morning, Lt. James Kneeland, a spokesperson for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, said.

• Ohio: Nine people have died as a result of weather-related auto crashes, including four in a Saturday morning crash on Interstate 75, when a tractor-trailer crossed the median and collided with an SUV and a pickup, authorities said.

• South Carolina: Two men – including a 91-year-old who went outside on Christmas Day to fix a broken water pipe – died due to the storm in Anderson County, the coroner’s office there said. The other victim died on Christmas Eve after his home lost power.

• Tennessee: The Department of Health on Friday confirmed one storm-related fatality.

• Vermont: One woman in Castleton died after a tree fell on her home, according to the police chief.

• Wisconsin: The State Patrol on Thursday reported one fatal crash due to winter weather.

People traverse Main Street in Buffalo, on Monday after a massive snowstorm blanketed the city. Craig Ruttle/AP

100 inches of snow sets Buffalo record

Across the country, cities and towns remain covered with thick snow: Baraga, Michigan, got 42.8 inches of snow while Henderson Harbor, New York, got 40.8 inches.

Buffalo has had the snowiest start ever to a winter season, with 92.7 inches of measurable snowfall from October through Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service. The latest storm came just one month after the region was slammed with a historic snowstorm.

And thanks to another 7.3 inches of snow that fell Monday, the city has already reached 100 inches for the season – faster than any previous year going back to the 1880s, when record keeping began. Half this season’s record-pace snowfall has occurred since Friday.

Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the wrong time frame for snowfall accumulation in Baraga, Michigan, and Henderson Harbor, New York. Baraga got 42.8 inches of snow and Henderson Harbor got 40.8 inches over three days.

Dakin Andone Christina Maxouris Artemis Moshtaghian Nouran Salahieh

Winter storm's icy cold and wind knocks out power to over a million ...

CNN —

A massive winter storm battered the US on Friday with frigid temperatures, high winds and heavy snow, leaving at least nine people dead, knocking out power to over a million customers and wrecking holiday plans from coast to coast.

The storm – expected to intensify throughout Friday as it barrels through the Midwest and East – is making for grim road conditions with poor visibility and ice-covered streets. Coastal flooding is also an issue, particularly along the shorelines of the Northeast.

All modes of travel – planes, trains and automobiles – were being disrupted: There were hundreds of miles of road closures and flight cancellations were growing rapidly. In New York, flooding along the Long Island Rail Road forced part of the Long Beach branch to temporarily shut down.

Related: Follow live updates

“Christmas is canceled,” said Mick Saunders, a Buffalo, New York, resident who was two hours into blizzard conditions that are expected to last through Sunday morning. “All family and friends agreed it’s safer this way.”

At least 9 deaths have been reported since Wednesday.

In north-central Kansas, three people were killed in separate car crashes on Wednesday evening; one death was confirmed to be weather-related, and two were believed to be weather-related but need more investigation, according to Kansas Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Candice Breshears.

In Kansas City, one person died after losing control of their Dodge Caravan on icy roads Thursday afternoon, according to the Kansas City Police Department. “The Dodge went down the embankment, over the cement retaining wall and landed upside down, submerged in Brush Creek,” police said in a statement.

In Kentucky, three people died due to the storm, including two in vehicle crashes and the other a “housing insecure” person in Louisville, Gov. Andy Beshear said. The man’s body was found outside with no obvious signs of trauma and an autopsy would determine the cause of death, police said.

And in Ohio, four people have died “as a result of weather-related auto accidents” and several others have been injured, according to Gov. Mike DeWine.

Life threatening cold has pushed all the way to the Gulf Coast and the Mexican border, with below zero wind chills reported as far south as Austin and Atlanta. Many locations in the eastern US are in for their coldest Christmas Eve in decades as the Arctic blast reaches its peak.

More than one million customers in the US are experiencing power outages amid the winter weather and frigid temperatures, according to the website PowerOutage.US. Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania have the most outages.

Snow blankets buildings in Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday, December 28. Joed Viera/AFP/Getty Images National Guard troops check on Buffalo residents on December 28. Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP A traveler searches for luggage December 28 at a Southwest Airlines baggage holding area in Denver International Airport. More than 90% of Wednesday's US flight cancellations were Southwest flights, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Southwest canceled more than 2,500 flights. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images People help push a car out of snow in Buffalo on Tuesday, December 27. John Normile/Getty Images Niagara Falls in New York is partially frozen on December 27. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Travelers at Baltimore/Washington International Airport deal with the impact of canceled flights on December 27. Michael McCoy/Reuters A gas station canopy lays on its side after high winds and heavy snow in Lackawanna, New York, on December 27. The historic winter storm dumped up to 4 feet of snow on the area. John Normile/Getty Images Hundreds of unclaimed suitcases sit near the Southwest Airlines baggage claim area in Tennessee's Nashville International Airport after the airline canceled thousands of flights on December 27. Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images A street is blanketed by snow in downtown Buffalo on Monday, December 26. Gov. Kathy Hochul/Twitter/AP A person clears a snow-covered driveway in Buffalo on December 26. Faith Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images A man and a boy walk across the frozen Reflecting Pool towards the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on December 26. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters carry rescue equipment as they respond to a fire on a snow-covered street in Buffalo on Sunday, December 25. Jalen Wright/The New York Times/Redux Snow blankets a neighborhood in Cheektowaga, New York, on Christmas Day. Western New York is drowning in thick "lake effect" snow -- which forms when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Great Lakes -- just one month after the region was slammed with a historic snowstorm. John Waller via AP A man tries to dig out his car after he got stuck in a snowdrift about a block from home in Buffalo on Saturday, December 24. Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP Icicles created by a sprinkler hang from an orange tree in Clermont, Florida, on December 24. Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images A young holiday traveler passes the time at Detroit Wayne County Metro Airport on December 24. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images Pedestrians deal with the cold in Chicago on December 24. Pat Nabong/Chicago Sun-Times via AP Hoak's Restaurant in Hamburg, New York, is seen covered in ice from the spray of Lake Erie on December 24. Kevin Hoak via Reuters Nissan Stadium employees clear the field in Nashville before the an NFL football game on December 24. Mark Zaleski/AP Amanda Kelly cleans off snow and ice from her car in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, December 23. Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network Cars drive in whiteout conditions in Orchard Park, New York, on December 23. Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News/AP Travelers sleep while lines of people pass through a security checkpoint at Denver International Airport. David Zalubowski/AP Snow-covered buildings are seen in Louisville, Kentucky. Leandro Lozada/AFP/Getty Images The waters of Lake Erie wash over the shoreline in Hamburg, New York, on December 23. John Normile/Getty Images Snow collects on a bison at the Longfield Farm in Goshen, Kentucky, on December 23. Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal/USA Today Network Volunteers welcome a homeless person to a shelter at Louisville's Broadbent Arena on December 23. Leandro Lozada/AFP/Getty Images Stones are removed from a road in Westport, Massachusetts, after a storm surge made landfall, flooding many coastal areas on December 23. Peter Pereira/The Standard-Times/AP The Louisville skyline is obscured by steam rising from the Ohio River on December 23. Matt Stone/The Louisville Courier/USA Today Network Antonio Smothers jump-starts his vehicle in Nashville on December 23. Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images Rows of headstones at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery are blanketed by drifting snow in Mandan on Thursday, December 22. Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune/AP Migrants warm themselves by a fire next to the US-Mexico border fence on December 22 in El Paso, Texas. John Moore/Getty Images Robert Arnold puts chains onto the tires of his semitrailer while he waits for the eastbound lane of I-70 to reopen in Silverthorne, Colorado, on December 22. Jason Connolly/AFP/Getty Images A musician departs following a show on Broadway in Nashville on December 22. Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images Brady Myers helps turn the Stewpot Community Services day shelter for the unhoused into an emergency overnight shelter in Jackson, Mississippi, on December 22. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger/USA Today Network Vehicles travel along Interstate 44 on December 22, in St. Louis. Jeff Roberson/AP A person walks through the snow on December 22 in downtown Minneapolis. Alex Kormann/Star Tribune/AP A clean car passes a snow-covered car in Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall/AP Travelers walk in front of flight information screens at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on December 22. Nam Y. Huh/AP Ice collects on a window in Oklahoma City on December 22. Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network Bus riders wait at a sheltered stop in Chicago on December 22. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP An accident involving a semi-tractor-trailer blocks the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 in West Des Moines on December 22. Bryon Houlgrave/The Des Moines Register/AP Kids shovel snow off a sidewalk and driveway in Minneapolis on December 22. Abbie Parr/AP Travelers arrive for their flights at O'Hare International Airport on December 22 in Chicago. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images Mist rises above ice flows on the Yellowstone River on December 22 in Paradise Valley, Montana. William Campbell/Getty Images Students walk to school buses after early dismissal at a middle school in Wheeling, Illinois, on December 22. Nam Y. Huh/AP Miguel Salazar clears sidewalks in Denver on December 22. Hyoung Chang/Denver Post/Getty Images Travelers arrive at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on December 21. Alex Kormann/Star Tribune/AP Salt is prepared to be loaded onto a truck at the Department of Public Works sanitation yard in Milwaukee on December 21. Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel/AP Propane heaters sit next to pens at the City of Mission Animal Shelter in Mission, Texas, on December 21. Joel Martinez/The Monitor/AP Crews de-ice a Southwest Airlines plane before takeoff in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 21. Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald/AP An Iowa Department of Transportation plow clears a road in Iowa City on December 21. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press Citizen/AP Snow covers homes in Seattle on December 20. Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times/AP In pictures: Winter storm impacts the US Prev Next

In all, more than 200 million people in the US were under wind chill alerts from the Canadian border to the Mexican border and from Washington state to Florida, with below-zero wind chills expected in the Southeast by Friday. Other winter weather alerts are in effect for blizzard conditions, ice, snow as well as flooding.

“The National Weather Service’s Watch Warning graphic depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever,” the agency said Thursday.

Record cold Christmas Eve for many

Notably, parts of Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming have already seen wind chills below minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the past two days.

The entire state of Texas was seeing temperatures below freezing by early Friday afternoon, according to weather observations from around the state.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned residents about the “epic, statewide hazard” of winter weather.

“I called it a kitchen sink storm because it is throwing everything at us but the kitchen sink,” Hochul said at a press conference Friday afternoon. “We’ve had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures, and everything that mother nature could wallop at us this weekend.”

For Brian Trzeciak, the storm was “living up to the warnings” at his home in Hamburg, New York. Buffalo’s airport, just to the north, reported zero visibility shortly after noon on Friday.

“Whiteout conditions, frigid temperatures, and the waves are like what you would see during a hurricane,” he told CNN.

He and his family decided to cancel their Christmas plans because of the dangers from the storm.

“My mother lives about 30 minutes away and so does my sister and her family, in the other direction,” he said. “We always get together for Christmas Eve and Christmas, but we’re all hunkering down in our houses until it all stops on Monday.”

Driving bans are in place in Erie, Genesee, Niagara and Orleans counties in Western New York because of whiteout conditions.

As many as 250 people could be stranded in their cars in Erie County in a situation that Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said put first responders at unnecessary risk. Brown told CNN Friday night that forecasts call for 36 to 48 inches of snow. The area has had wind gusts of 79 mph.

Many will experience a cold holiday unlike any other: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Tallahassee, Florida, are all forecast to have their coldest high temperature ever recorded on December 24, according to the National Weather Service.

Washington DC is forecast to see its second coldest Christmas Eve, only behind 1989. In New York, it will be the coldest Christmas Eve since 1906. Chicago is expecting temperatures to rebound above zero, but will still experience its coldest Christmas Eve since 1983.

Much of Florida will experience the peak of their cold on Christmas Day. It will be coldest Christmas Day since 1983 for Miami, Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach.

Storm expected to become ‘bomb cyclone’

Cars drive in whiteout conditions in Orchard Park, New York on Friday. Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News/AP

On Friday, the storm unleashed more heavy snow and blizzard conditions, particularly in the Midwest.

As it treks east across the country, the storm is expected to become a “bomb cyclone,” a rapidly strengthening storm which drops 24 millibars of pressure within 24 hours. The storm’s pressure was forecast to match that of a Category 2 hurricane as it moved into the Great Lakes on Friday morning.

Governors in at least 13 states, including Georgia and North Carolina in the South, have implemented emergency measures to respond to the storm. Declarations of a state of emergency in several states have included the activation of National Guard units.

More than 5,500 Friday flights have already been canceled as of 9:30 p.m. ET, after nearly 2,700 cancellations on Thursday, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

• It will remain very cold: Friday will bring record-low temperatures in large swaths of the US, including from the Lower Mississippi Valley, northeastward into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and stretching across large sections of the east from the Southeast, through the Southern to Central Appalachians and into the mid-Atlantic, according to the National Weather Service.

• Dangerous wind chills: The plummeting temperatures will be accompanied by high winds, which will create dangerous wind chills across nearly all the central to eastern US.

• Blizzard warnings: The Upper Midwest will see frigid temperatures, heavy snow and high winds. The warning applies to parts of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Michigan. Buffalo, New York, will go under a blizzard warning Friday morning. Such warnings go in effect when snow and wind of 35 mph will reduce visibility to less than a quarter of a mile for at least three hours.

• Whiteout conditions: Blizzard conditions may exist even if snowfall stops, because high winds can pick up snow already on the ground and cause low visibility.

Separate storm system in Pacific Northwest

A separate storm system is bringing heavy mixed precipitation to the Pacific Northwest on Friday.

A winter storm warning is in effect for western Washington, including Seattle, until 7 p.m. PST Friday. Additional snowfall of up to 2 inches is possible and ice accumulations could reach a quarter of an inch. Precipitation will begin as snow and transition to sleet/freezing rain and then finally to rain. More power outages are likely and travel will be made very difficult.

The ice caused the closure of runways at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where nearly half of flights going into and out of the airport were canceled, according to FlightAware. Further, all express services for Sound Transit, a regional transportation network in the Seattle metro area, were suspended Friday due to the icy conditions.

A winter storm warning is also in effect for northeastern Oregon, including Portland, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. PST. Total snow and sleet accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of .2 to .4 inches is likely as well as winds gusting to 55 mph. Wind chills as low as zero are possible, and frostbite is possible on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.

One of the biggest dangers of the massive winter storm besides heavy snow and blizzard conditions is the rapid drop in temperatures over a short period of time. The air will continue to get and feel colder, especially during night hours.

Aya Elamroussi Ray Sanchez Eric Levenson

Record-breaking snowfall blankets northern Arizona

More than 2 feet of snow fell over two days across parts of northern Arizona, becoming the 25th largest snow event in Flagstaff history and breaking the record for single-day snow accumulation on Sunday.

The Flagstaff Airport measured 14.8 inches on Sunday, smashing the previous record of 8.9 inches that held for 45 years. As snow continued to fall, accumulation eventually reached 30 inches at the airport by Tuesday morning.

The last time Flagstaff saw a storm of this magnitude was in late January 2021 when officials measured a 33.2-inch snowfall.

Power outage:More than 1,400 APS customers without power in Munds Park

The areas impacted by the storm were expansive, said meteorologist Benjamin Peterson, including most areas at elevation above 5,500 feet, stretching from the northern rim of the Grand Canyon east to the White Mountains.

But the heaviest snow hit the Williams, Parks and Flagstaff area before tapering off to the east and south, Peterson said.

"We were definitely in the center of this one," he said.

Snow plows worked nonstop to clear roadways since the snow first started to fall on Saturday evening, but driving conditions are still hazardous, especially on side streets.

In addition to some road closures, the intense snowfall also prompted closures throughout the city. Northern Arizona University canceled classes Monday through Wednesday due to the inclement weather, delaying the start of the school's spring semester.

Flagstaff Unified School District also closed schools on Tuesday as snow continued to fall and road conditions remained questionable.

Further, the Flagstaff City Council meeting scheduled for Jan. 17 was conducted virtually after the city closed all administrative offices and non-essential facilities with the intention to reopen Wednesday.

Another storm is in the forecast later this week and could bring an extra 4 to 5 inches of snow to Flagstaff with potential snowfall stretching down toward the Valley by Friday morning, Peterson said.

Contact northern Arizona reporter Lacey Latch at llatch@gannett.com or on social media @laceylatch. Coverage of northern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America and a grant from the Vitalyst Health Foundation in association with The Arizona Republic.

Battered East Coast begins digging out from deadly blizzard

Doyle Rice, and John Bacon

USA TODAY

The sun came out, travel bans slowly lifted, and the great dig-out of 2016 was in full force Sunday across much of the East after a brutal, record-setting snowstorm paralyzed much of the region.

The storm rolled off the coast and into the Atlantic, leaving behind clear skies and gusty winds. Baltimore and New York eased their bans on road travel and started revving up public transportation. Washington, D.C.'s Metro transit system was scheduled to remain shut all day Sunday, but expected to reopen on a limited basis Monday morning. The region's airports struggled to handle traffic, and more than 12,900 flights were canceled.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Sunday said city schools and government would be closed Monday, but that the city would provide free breakfasts and lunches to students at 10 locations. Amtrak also reported that it would operate on Monday in the mid-Atlantic region, but on a modified schedule.

The snowstorm was the biggest ever recorded for three cities — Baltimore (29.2 inches), Allentown, Pa. (31.9) and Harrisburg, Pa. (34), the National Weather Service said. New York City picked up 26.8 inches of snow, missing its all-time record by one-tenth of an inch. The city was recruiting laborers to shovel snow for $13.50 per hour.

“This was one of the worst storms to ever hit New York City, and we need all hands on deck to dig us out,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Broadway was back in business Sunday after shows were canceled Saturday. In Central Park, the mood was festive, with people saying "good morning" and "hello" as they glided on cross-country skis or toted a sled toward a hill. Jermaine Fletcher and Linda Kuo walked arm-in-arm along the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, happy to be out after more than 24 hours holed up indoors.

"The snow is pretty," said Kuo, 33, of Manhattan. "It's always really pretty the day after."

Researcher: Number of blizzards doubled in past 20 years

Was Washington's snow measurement accurate?

Washington saw 17.8 inches of snow at Reagan National Airport, the city's official measurement, while suburban Washington Dulles Airport was blasted with 29.3 inches. In nearby Arlington, Va., Allie Vasquez, 12, was spending all day in the snow, helping shovel out an elderly neighbor on an unplowed street before sledding with friends.

"Snow drifts are 3 or 4 feet deep in some places," Allie said. "I can barely walk through it. It's crazy."

More than 50,000 people along the eastern seaboard remained without power Sunday, much improved from the height of the storm when 250,000 utility customers were affected. South Carolina, where icy conditions prevailed, and New Jersey, hard hit by storm surges during high tides, continued to have the biggest problems with outages.

At one point, more than 60 million people had been under warnings for a blizzard, winter storm or freezing rain as the storm roared from Georgia to Massachusetts. At least 28 people died in storm-related incidents, the Associated Press reported Sunday afternoon.

In Greenville, S.C., an elderly couple died from carbon monoxide poisoning inside their home, The Greenville News reported. The couple had lost power during the storm and a family member had helped them set up a generator inside their garage, officials said. Somehow a door propped open to vent the deadly gas became closed and carbon monoxide filled the house.

Sunday: Snow is over, but flight cancellations top 12,000

In some areas, the heavy snow meant roof collapses. Several were reported in York County, Pa., including the roof of a hangar at York Airport, the York Daily Record reported.

On Sunday, the storm began loosening its icy grip. New York City and Long Island lifted travel bans that had included all transit from New Jersey bridges and tunnels into and out of the city. Baltimore lifted its driving ban but still required vehicles to be equipped with special tires or chains.

"Historical snow storm. Please be patient, it will take awhile for clean-up especially small streets," Baltimore's Transportation Department tweeted.

In Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe toured parts of the state by helicopter and said interstates were cleared and "commerce is back."

"Every Virginia resident was touched by this storm, every part of our state saw some snow," McAuliffe said. "This was a massive storm for us in the commonwealth."

Runways at two of Washington’s major airports — Dulles and Reagan National, both in Virginia — remained shut for the day as crews grappled with heavy and drifting snow. At National Airport, more than 10% of Monday's schedule had already been grounded.

Airports in New York and Philadelphia will operate, but with greatly reduced schedules.

Coastal communities from North Carolina to southern New England worked to recover from flooding that struck during high tides amid the blizzard and high winds.

"This, in my opinion, is worse than (Hurricane) Sandy," Len Desiderio, the mayor of Sea Isle City, N.J., told CBS Philly Sunday. "We're dealing with severe flooding."

In Philadelphia, residents dug out on Sunday afternoon, even as many side streets had yet to see a plow. A few locals took matters into their own hands. Seth Rohrbaugh attempted to dig out the exit of an off-street parking site at a Fairmount apartment complex.

“I figure people are going to have places to go,” he said. “I might as well help the people who are snowed in.”

The financial cost of the storm remains to be calculated, but it is going to be in the billions, experts said.

“This event has all the makings of a multibillion-dollar economic cost,” said meteorologist Steven Bowen of Aon Benfield, a London-based global re-insurance firm. After adding up damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and more, "we're potentially looking at one of the costlier winter storm events in recent memory,” he said.

The Blizzard of 1996, which was similar in size and scope to this weekend's storm, had a $4.6 billion economic cost (in 2016 dollars), Bowen said. “No two events are identical, but this provides some context as to how costly these storms can be.”

Contributing: Ben Mutzabaugh, Melanie Eversley, Gregg Zoroya and Greg Toppo, USA TODAY; Brittany Horn, The (Wilmington) News Journal