A significant lake-effect snow event continued Thursday, one day after parts of Michigan were buried under a foot of snow. And as Arctic air continues to pour over the largely unfrozen Great Lakes, AccuWeather forecasters say more snow will pile up through Friday.
Snow began to fall in earnest on Wednesday as Marquette, Mich., picked up a whopping 15.4 inches of snow. This set a record for Jan. 5, easily surpassing the previous record of 5.3 inches, set in 2010.
Intense lake-effect snow bands were impacting Buffalo, N.Y., and surrounding areas of western New York as of early Thursday and producing snowfall rates of 1 inch to 2 inches per hour. With nearly 10 inches by 10 a.m. Thursday, the NWS in Buffalo announced that the snowfall record for Jan. 6, previously 7.3 inches in 1974, had already fallen.
Heather Ly, an anchor for WGRZ, shared a video on Twitter of a snowplow and cars driving down a snow-covered part of Interstate 90 in Buffalo. Gusty winds up to 25 mph were also creating limited visibility and dangerous travel conditions along stretches of I-90, making travel difficult for many drivers.
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"More waves of lake-effect snow are expected to impact the area through Friday, and in the end, some communities around Buffalo and Watertown, New York, could end up with 2-3 feet of snow," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
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A lake-effect snow warning was in place for Buffalo and other parts of western New York Thursday, while winter storm warnings were issued for parts of western Michigan. A winter storm watch was in effect for northwestern Pennsylvania.
As is the norm with lake-effect snow, the highest snowfall accumulations are expected to occur in the most persistent snow bands. These locations could not only witness the highest snowfall rates, but also deteriorating conditions could reduce visibility and create blizzard conditions.
At the same time, the multiple waves of cold air pushing across the Great Lakes will allow for several rounds of snow. The lake-effect bands may shift around several times into Friday night, forecasters say.
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"Even outside of the most persistent lake-effect snow bands, shifting areas of snow and flurries can deposit a wider swath of 1-3 inches of snow across the region," AccuWeather meteorologist Jake Sojda said.
Snowfall could lead to disruptions well away from the typical snow belts downwind of the Great Lakes as a result.
"Small ripples in the Arctic air can produce locally heavy snow squalls well away from the lakes," Sosnowski said, adding that sudden drops in visibility are possible, along with quick dips in temperature and a small but rapid accumulation on roads in some communities.
Forecasters urge motorists to prepare for sudden changes in the weather. Roads may be perfectly dry in one location and snow-covered in another while traveling along the highway.
The lack of persistent Arctic air through December has kept lake-effect events to a minimum so far this winter season, according to Sosnowski. While the lakes are still rather warm for this time of year, with southern parts of Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario still reading close to 44 degrees Fahrenheit, the lack of cold air moving over the warmer lakes has contributed to a lake-effect snow drought.
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During the winter, cold air rushes over the Great Lakes frequently enough to cool down the water and cause lake ice to accrue, which effectively lessens the lake-effect impacts. This hasn't happened yet this season, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration only measuring a total ice coverage of 3.4 on the Great Lakes as of Jan. 5. Until the lakes freeze over enough, the shots of Arctic air expected to sweep across the Great Lakes in the coming month are likely to produce more lake-effect snow, making up for the deficit seen in December.
The next blast of Arctic air is set to sweep the Great Lakes this weekend and most likely will trigger another round of lake-effect snow.
