A blizzard warning has been issued for parts of the Northeast during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the busiest in the U.S., causing road and air traffic to be in jeopardy.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a blizzard warning for the southern shores of Lake Erie and the eastern shores of Lake Ontario on the morning of the 30th, predicting snowfall of 60 to 120 centimeters through Monday, December 2. Some areas of Ohio along the southern shores of Lake Erie could see up to 150 centimeters of snow by Tuesday, December 3, the weather service forecast.
The coastal areas of the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, are prone to heavy snowfall accompanied by severe cold in the winter due to the “lake effect,” where cold air currents pass over the lakes and create snow clouds.
The weather service asked people to avoid driving, saying that this heavy snowfall could make travel very difficult or impossible in some areas, and advised people to prepare extra water and food in case travel is unavoidable in case of an emergency.
Some sections of the highway connecting Pennsylvania and upstate New York remained closed as of the morning of the 30th.Some areas, including Perrysburg, south of Buffalo, New York, reported that they had already received 90 cm of snow on the morning of the 30th.This heavy snowfall came as the largest number of people in the United States traveled long distances to visit family, relatives, and friends on Thanksgiving Day, the busiest day of the year.
The Automobile Association (AAA) forecasted that a total of 79.9 million people will move to other regions during the week from the 26th to December 2nd, ahead of Thanksgiving (the 28th). This is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to the same period last year.
Authorities in the Great Lakes region are in a state of emergency.
New York Governor Cathy Hockel issued a statement on the afternoon of the 29th, saying, “As lake-effect snowfall moves into parts of New York State, we are closely monitoring the situation and mobilizing all available resources to respond.”