ORCHARD PARK, NY — After American travelers struggled through brutal weekend weather to get home after the Thanksgiving holiday, residents of the Great Lakes region are facing the prospect of more snow throughout the week, forecasters said.
Snow was expected to fall again in the region overnight into Monday morning and again Wednesday and Thursday, along with gusty winds and freezing temperatures, the National Weather Service said Sunday.
New York State received several inches of lake-effect snow over the weekend, including nearly 4 feet for Lake Ontario and parts of Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Lake effect snow is caused by warm, moist air blowing over a body of water and mixing with colder, drier air, creating narrow bands of often heavy snow on land.
Flinty fans mocked the gusts and numbing temperatures during Sunday’s nighttime NFL game in Buffalo, New York, against the San Francisco 49ers.
The NFL Bills said the organization would pay $20 an hour and provide food and hot drinks to snow shovelers.
The lake effect storm began impacting the area near the Bills stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Saturday. Although the storm moved south of the stadium around noon on Sunday, snow continued to fall throughout the day. Just before kick-off the gusts started to fall more heavily. The game was played in cold conditions with a gametime temperature of 27 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 3 degrees Celsius), with the wind chill feeling like 17 F (minus 8 degrees Celsius). The Bills often play at home in such conditions 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’ play was practically subdued compared to previous matchups at Highmark Stadium.
“We love snow here. You know how Bills Mafia is, we like the cold,” he said from a tailgate party in a parking lot. “This is nothing compared to what we’ve seen before.”
But for Jake Dyer, an Indianapolis Colts fan from Southern California, a cold-weather game is a rarity.
“The only thing I hadn’t prepared for was shoes. I double down on everything else, but my feet are cold,” he said. “Mad respect for everyone who comes out. Everyone can watch this match in the comfort of their own home at home.”
Another 1 to 2 feet (about 30 to 60 centimeters) of snow was possible in western New York, and another 2 to 3 feet in northern New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Sunday.
A blast of Arctic air last week brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the northern plains, the National Weather Service said. Cold air was expected to move across the eastern third of the U.S. on Monday, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation on Saturday, saying parts of Erie County in the northwest received nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow, with more expected through Monday evening. Due to the snow crisis in the city of Erie, City Hall is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Parts of Michigan were pummeled by snow due to lake effect, while bands rolling off Lake Superior buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
There was 27 inches (69 centimeters) of snow northeast of Ironwood, in the western reaches of the Upper Peninsula. Up to 12 inches could fall across the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, Chapman said Saturday.
A light dusting of snow fell across Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, providing a beautiful backdrop for Christmas decorations and good practices for road crews.
Over the next few days, minimum temperatures in the Appalachians are expected to fall between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12 to minus 7 degrees Celsius).
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Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York, and Anna from Lowville, New York. 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, contributed.