A large lake-effect snowstorm will likely blanket Buffalo, New York and the Great Lakes region with a snow warning starting Thursday night through Sunday morning, The National Weather Service warns.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo wrote on Wednesday "Heavy lake effect snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 3 feet in the most persistent lake snows. The heaviest snow is expected late Thursday evening through Friday night when snowfall rates could exceed 3 inches per hour. Snowfall totals of up to 4 feet will be possible if the main snow band remains stationary for longer period of time. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph with produce patchy blowing snow (sic)."
NWS Buffalo later added on Twitter: "This will be a long event, with heavy lake effect snow developing tonight and lasting all the way through the weekend. With the lake effect bands slowly changing orientations, no one location will see the heavy snow for the entire duration of the event."
The service warned that the storm has the potential to be "crippling" and "paralyzing," and Buffalo-based meteorologist Liz Jurkowski told The New York Times that forecasters "very rarely" use these terms "except for historic events."
She noted that "Thundersnow will definitely be possible off both lakes" due to the warmer-than-usual water in Lakes Erie and Ontario.
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