Enlarge image
A man in the snow of Buffalo, New York
Photo: Joshua Bessex/AP
A blizzard has wreaked havoc in the northeastern United States.
For the region around the city of Buffalo in western New York state, the National Weather Service predicted "historic snowfall of more than four feet."
According to the AP news agency, there was already 60 centimeters of snow in some places in the morning (local time).
The weather service warned of "near-zero visibility, near-impossible travel, damage to infrastructure and paralysis of hard-hit communities."
A state of emergency was declared for eleven counties.
Erie County officials around Buffalo imposed a driving ban.
In some cases, schools remained closed and flights were cancelled.
The governor of the state of New York, Kathy Hochul, had already warned of an "extreme weather event" the day before.
'That means it's dangerous.
It also means it's life-threatening.” People should prepare “for the worst” and stay home if possible.
Due to the nature of the blizzard, there were some high snowdrifts in and around Buffalo, while just a few miles north overnight and skies were partially blue, according to the AP.
Buffalo has had a history of dramatic snowstorms, one of the most violent in recent memory being the onset of winter in November 2014. For three days, six feet of snow fell in some communities, roofs collapsed, and vehicles got stuck.
This time the heaviest snowfall is expected to last until Friday evening, but fresh snow is also expected on Saturday and Sunday.
kko/AFP/AP