9 things to know about the storms in New York — PHOTOS
An abandon car marked by orange cones is pictured buried under snow in Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
Lori Weishaar shovels snow from around her vehicle following an autumn snow storm in Buffalo, New York, November 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Aaron Lynett)
A lake-effect snow storm with freezing temperatures produces a wall of snow travelling over Lake Erie into Buffalo, New York. November 18, 2014. (REUTERS/Gary Wiepert)
A lake-effect snow storm with freezing temperatures produces a wall of snow travelling over Lake Erie into Buffalo, New York. (REUTERS/Gary Wiepert)
A woman walks down the middle of the street through the blowing snow in Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
A man plows snow off his sidewalk in Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
A car is covered in snow in Orchard Park outside of Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Judith Gros)
An abandon car marked by orange cones is buried under snow as a snowplow passes by in Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
Trucks are parked in a lot off the Route 90 section of the New York State Thruway in the town of Cheektowaga near Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
A man clears snow from his roof in the town of Cheektowaga near Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo talks with a stranded trucker on interstate I-190 while surveying an area in West Seneca, New York November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News/Pool)
A man climbs on his roof to clear snow in the town of Cheektowaga near Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
A vehicle is shown submerged in snow sits on interstate I-190 in West Seneca, New York November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo climbs over snow piled on the highway after talking with a stranded trucker on interstate I-190 while surveying an area in West Seneca, New York November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News/Pool)
A man climbs on his roof to clear snow in the town of Cheektowaga near Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario )
Vehicles litter the highway in West Seneca, New York November 19, 2014. An autumn blizzard dumped a year's worth of snow on western New York state where five people died and residents, some stranded overnight in cars, braced for another pummelling expected later on Wednesday. (REUTERS/Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News)
Storm clouds and snow blows off Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, November 18, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
Snow covers Buffalo, New York, November 18, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
Trucks sit stranded on a closed New York State Thruway in the town of Cheektowaga near Buffalo, New York, November 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
Nov 20, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; A general view of the field and seating area of Ralph Wilson Stadium after a major snow storm hit the area. (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)
Nov 20, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; After a major snow storm a grounds crew worker begins to clear snow from the football field at Ralph Wilson Stadium. (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)
Nov 20, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; After a major snow storm a grounds crew worker begins to clear snow from the football field at Ralph Wilson Stadium. (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)
Nov 20, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; After a major snow storm a grounds crew worker begins to clear snow from the football field at Ralph Wilson Stadium. (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)
Nov 20, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; A general view of the outside of Ralph Wilson Stadium after a major snow storm hit the area. (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)
Nov 20, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; After a major snow storm a grounds crew worker begins to clear snow from the football field at Ralph Wilson Stadium. (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)
Storm clouds and snow blow off Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, November 18, 2014. (REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario)
A man clears his driveway of snow following an autumn snow storm in Buffalo, New York November 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Aaron Lynett)
Lori and Bob Weishaar, shovel snow from around their vehicle following an autumn storm in Buffalo, New York November 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Aaron Lynett)
Michael Peters shovels snow from his sidewalk following An autumn storm in Buffalo, New York November 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Aaron Lynett)
Heavy machinery clears snow from a street following an autumn storm in Buffalo, New York, November 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Aaron Lynett)
Workers shovel snow from a roof following an autumn storm in Buffalo, New York November 20, 2014. (REUTERS/Aaron Lynett)
A car is covered in snow in Orchard Park outside of Buffalo, New York, November 19, 2014. Western New York state braced for a fresh wave of heavy snow on Wednesday after a freakish storm swept off the Great Lakes and buried the region under 5 feet (1.5 meters) of it, killing at least six people and stranding motorists in cars overnight. REUTERS/Judith Gros (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT)
Braeden Attig,11, removes snow from a buried car along Powers Road in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. A ferocious lake-effect storm left the Buffalo area buried under 6 feet of snow Wednesday, trapping people on highways and in homes, and another storm expected to drop 2 to 3 feet more was on its way. (AP Photo/The Buffalo News, Harry Scull Jr.) TV OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; BATAVIA DAILY NEWS OUT; DUNKIRK OBSERVER OUT; JAMESTOWN POST-JOURNAL OUT; LOCKPORT UNION-SUN JOURNAL OUT; NIAGARA GAZETTE OUT; OLEAN TIMES-HERALD OUT; SALAMANCA PRESS OUT; TONAWANDA NEWS OUT
Here’s what you need to know about the storms over New York state and the Great Lakes this week:
- Meteorologists say temperatures in all 50 states fell to freezing or below on Tuesday. They say the low temperatures were more reminiscent of January than November.
- Lake-effect storms in Michigan produced gale-force winds and as much as 18 inches of snow, and canceled several flights at the Grand Rapids airport.
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo deployed 150 member of the National Guard to help clear snow-clogged roads and remove abandoned vehicles.
- Those living in the Buffalo area were already buried under as much as 5½ feet of snow Tuesday and Wednesday, and they awoke to the threat of 1 to 3 feet more.
- The storm was blamed for up to eight deaths in western New York, at least five of them from heart attacks. Erie County officials announced the latest death on Thursday, that of a man in his 60s who was stricken Wednesday while operating a snowblower.
- Residents of a mobile home park in the suburb of West Seneca were being evacuated Thursday after their roofs began to collapse under the weight of heavy snow.
- The NFL’s Buffalo Bills offered $10 an hour plus game tickets for people willing to help shovel out the stands in Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, in the snow belt southeast of the city.
- With an additional 2 feet possible on Thursday, the one-week totals for the hardest hit areas will approach the average snowfall for an entire year: 93.6 inches, or close to 8 feet. It won’t stick around, though.
- The heaviest 24-hour snowfall on record in the Lower 48 states is 75.8 inches, which fell at Silver Lake, Colorado, in 1921, according to the government.
