Lake-Effect Storm Bringing Heavy Snow to Great Lakes Region

A lake-effect storm blanketed parts of the Great Lakes region with snow on Friday, closing highways on one of the biggest travel weekends of the year and prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York to declare a state of emergency in 11 counties.

The snowstorm, which is expected to last through to Tuesday, is forecast to bring more than 40 inches to some parts of New York, the National Weather Service said early Saturday. Up to six feet of snow could bury counties east of Lake Erie before the storm passes, forecasters said, warning that some counties could be brought to a standstill.

With roads slick and visibility poor from white-out conditions, travel could be potentially life-threatening, the service said. On Friday, the snowfall was already causing disruptions. Parts of western New York, such as Mayville on the northern end of Chautauqua Lake, about 22 miles northwest of Jamestown, had recorded 17 inches of snow by Friday afternoon.

“We are so accustomed to this kind of storm,” Ms. Hochul said in an interview with Spectrum News on Friday. “We don’t love it, but it is part of who we are as New Yorkers, especially western New York and the North Country.” With nearly a dozen counties under a state of emergency, Ms. Hochul said that officials were “ready for the worst.”

In a statement on Friday, she said more than 100 members of the National Guard were staged in western New York to help.

The snow hampered travel on several interstates, closing a section of Interstate 90 from Erie County, Penn., to Hamburg, N.Y., and westbound Interstate 86 up to the New York State line. Commercial vehicles were banned on some routes as officials worked to clear traffic backups.