ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – 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 (30 centimeters) was expected to follow Monday, the National Weather Service said. More snow is expected Wednesday and Thursday, along with gusty winds and freezing temperatures.
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“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 (1.2 meters) 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.
Bills game played in wintry conditions
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, New York. 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 in chilly conditions, with the temperature at 27 degrees (minus 3 Celsius), with the wind chill making it feel like 17 (minus 8 Celsius). 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.
“We love snow over here. You know how Bills Mafia is, we love the cold," he said from a parking lot tailgate party. "This is nothing compared to what we’ve seen before.”
But for Jake Dyer, an Indianapolis Colts fan visiting from Southern California, a cold-weather game is a rarity.
“Only thing I didn’t prepare for was shoes. I double up on everything else, but my feet are cold,” he said. “Mad respect for anybody who comes out. Anybody can sit at home, comfy in their chair to watch this game.”
New York and Pennsylvania declare emergencies
A blast of Arctic air last week brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12 to minus 6 Celsius) 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 (61 centimeters) of snow. City Hall will be closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday.
Michigan is battered
Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow as bands rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more, said Lily Chapman, a weather service meteorologist.
Twenty-seven inches (69 centimeters) of snow fell northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula’s western reaches. More than a foot (30.5 centimeters) could fall over the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, Chapman said Saturday.
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Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York, and Anna from Lowville, New York. Contributing to this report were Ron Todt in Philadelphia; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire.