Upstate New York was coated in feet of snow over the weekend, with some areas receiving more than 40 inches of the white stuff.
Orchard Park, home of the Buffalo Bills’ stadium, got about 18 inches of snow and more was predicted for Sunday. The Bills’ home game Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers was scheduled to go ahead as planned despite the concerning forecast for the region.
Winds were expected to shift in the afternoon, moving the worst of the storm south of Orchard Park and limiting the amount of snowfall at the stadium.
“This relatively minor change in wind direction can be just enough to shift the heaviest and most persistent lake-effect snow band to just south of Orchard Park during game time, but snow showers are still expected during the game itself,” AccuWeather meteorologist Grady Gilman said.
The worst snowfall occurred north of Syracuse, off Lake Ontario. Barnes Corners received 45 inches of snow, the most in the region, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. Nearby Adams Center saw 36 inches of snow.
Farther south, off Lake Erie, several towns in Chautauqua County received more than 30 inches of snow, led by Cassadaga with nearly 35 inches.
The lake effect snow was expected to continue falling on Sunday near both Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and the Bills offered to pay snow shovelers $20 per hour to clear their stadium. Gov. Hochul said workers and plows from across the state had been deployed the region to help clear the snow.
In Erie, Pa., the city estimated more than 100 cars were snowed in on the roads, blocking snowplow access in many cases.
“We just keep digging out,” Barnes Corners businessman Kevin Tyo told The Associated Press. “If you’re not used to it, stay home. If you’re out, slow down.”
Because lake effect snow falls in narrow bands, downtown Buffalo was anticipating only a few inches on Sunday, while areas south of the city were preparing for multiple feet.
A massive stretch of I-90 was closed to commercial vehicles, but travel in and out of Buffalo Niagara International Airport remained largely unaffected on what is traditionally the busiest travel day of the calendar year.
The cold weather that created conditions for lake effect snow extended across much of the northeast and Midwest, including New York City. Temperatures started in the 20s across the five boroughs but were expected to reach into the low 40s as the day progressed.
Unsurprisingly, the airport with the most trouble on Sunday morning was Chicago O’Hare, which led the country with more than 90 delayed flights before noon, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. However, cancellations remained rare nationwide, even at O’Hare.
With News Wire Services
