Residents have been advised not to forget to check the local forecast before stepping out of their homes and check out the Black Friday deals as Snowfall could snarl post-Thanksgiving travel plans across the northern Plains and Midwest, while roughly 9 million people are under freeze watches in the South.
It was disclosed that in the Great Lakes region, a strong lake-effect snow event is anticipated to last through the weekend before going off gradually early next week. It was noted that Six million people were under winter alerts Friday from northern Minnesota into upstate New York, where snowfall totals downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario were expected to reach 3 feet or more.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a swift move declared a state of emergency on Friday that went into effect immediately in Allegany, Erie, Cattaraugaus, Chautauqua, Genessee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wyoming Counties.
At times, snowfall rates will be blinding, at 3 to 4 inches an hour, and could be accompanied by thundersnow, a rare weather event that combines a snowstorm with thunder and lightning. The highest snow accumulations will be east of Lake Ontario, where some isolated areas could get hit by up to 60 inches of snow around the Watertown, New York, area.
With the high rate of snow, it has been indicated that road travel could be more difficult, especially for interstate travel. It was noted that between Cleveland and Buffalo, and Interstate 81, north of Syracuse, New York. The “Sunday Night Football” faceoff between the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills could be buried under snow because Highmark Stadium is in Orchard Park, a town that is forecast to pick up between 12 and 18 inches, with higher amounts possible.
The police confirmed that the wintry weather was suspected to be the cause of the crash along U.S. Route 131 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Thursday night that left people injured. The authorities have failed to disclose the actual number of the persons affected in the accident but the police noted that over 15 vehicles were involved in the incident which was a collision.
U.S. airports were full of travellers going to Thanksgiving destinations between Sunday and Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration safely moved more than 232,000 flights across the country between those days which has been confirmed to be a record number for Thanksgiving week. More than 52,000 flights carried passengers to their destinations on Tuesday alone the authorities said
It was noted that a population which was up to 9 million people on Friday were under freeze-watches and warnings across the South, extending from Texas to the Carolinas. The cities under alert include Abilene, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and Charleston, South Carolina.
Weather forecasters predict that the coldest air in the South is yet to come, with an Arctic air mass spilling south out of Canada.
