Great Lakes states expect another foot of snow after four feet over the holiday

Parts of the Great Lakes region saw new snow Monday 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 Monday, the National Weather Service said. More snow is expected Wednesday and Thursday, 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, Michigan, posted online early Monday.

Lake-effect snow warnings were in effect through Tuesday night in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania.

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.

Flinty fans scoffed at the flurries and numbing temperatures during Sunday’s nighttime NFL game in Buffalo, New York, against the San Francisco 49ers.

The NFL’s Bills said the organization would pay $20 per hour and provide food and hot drinks to snow shovelers.

The lake-effect storm began hitting the area Saturday near the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park. Though the storm shifted south of the stadium by noon Sunday, snow continued to fall off and on through the day. Flurries began to fall more heavily just before kickoff. The game was played with the temperature at 27 degrees, with the wind chill making it feel like 17. The Bills often play in such conditions at home late in the season.

Tim LoTemple, a Bills season-ticket holder from Rochester, New York, and part of the team’s rabid fan base known as “Bills Mafia,” said the freezing temperatures and snow energize the players and fans. Still, the 49ers game was practically temperate compared to previous matchups at Highmark Stadium.

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 Monday.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation Saturday and said parts of Erie County in the northwest received nearly 2 feet of snow. 



(AP Photo Cara Anna)