It was a historic snowstorm experienced by residents of western New York State, United States.
In the Buffalo area, nearly two meters of snow fell in places in 24 hours, between Friday and Saturday.
Yet accustomed to this type of meteorological phenomenon, the authorities were surprised by its intensity.
The storm produced "much more than what we usually receive," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown told CNN television on Saturday.
The city, located on the border with Canada, on the east side, is particularly close to Toronto and the Great Lakes.
The encounter between the warm waters contained therein, combined with a mass of cold air, intensified the phenomenon.
The images captured after the storm, massively relayed on social networks, reveal a surreal landscape.
The streets are deserted, the roofs of the houses weighed down by several tens of centimeters of snow.
A quick drone aftermath video I put together ❄️#buffalo #buffalolakeeffect #BuffaloStorm2022 #buffalosnow #LakeEffect #LakeEffectSnow pic.twitter.com/tNnHcr0JCj
— BuffaloWeather (@weather_buffalo) November 20, 2022
Power outages, interrupted traffic, closed roads… The storm caused many inconveniences for the locals.
The New York Times thus reported nearly 300 people rescued in the region as well as 1,600 others deprived of electricity.
Two people died while clearing snow
"Visibility is reduced to a few hundred feet and roads are covered in snow," Buffalo's National Weather Service wrote on Twitter.
Stay where you are if you can for the next few hours until this swath of snow passes on its way to the Boston Hills and the southern part.”
In the images, we can barely make out the streetlights of the city, buried in the storm, while the cars are already covered with a layer of snow.
Intense lake effect snow has returned to the Buffalo office.
Visibility is down to a few hundred feet and roads are snow covered.
Stay where you are if you can for the next few hours until after this snowband swings through on its way to the Boston Hills and Southern Tier.
#nywx pic.twitter.com/3griwL377I
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) November 20, 2022
“We believe we are going to make history by having the most snowfall in a 24-hour period right here in New York State,” Governor Kathy Hochul said at a press conference Saturday. relayed by the American media.
It has never happened like this before”.
Sadly, while attempting to clear the snow using shovels, two people from Erie County died of heart complications.
"We send our deepest condolences and remind everyone that this snow is very heavy and dangerous," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz wrote.
Two people died of heart complications while trying to clear snow.
John Normile/Getty Images via AFP 2022 Getty Images
Schools closed in Buffalo on Monday
Despite the reopening of several traffic axes, the governor still calls for caution this Sunday.
Wind gusts of 60 to 80 km/h, moving snow in places could make car journeys difficult and dangerous.
A new episode of snow, less intense, should occur next night.
Schools in the city of Buffalo will remain closed on Monday, municipal services have already announced.
“All students and staff must stay home.
Safety is our main concern.
Please stay warm and stay safe,” a tweet read.
Due to the severe winter weather event this weekend, the Buffalo Public Schools will be closed on Monday, November 21, 2022. All students and staff are to remain home.
Safety is our primary concern.
Please stay warm and stay safe.
Thank you.
pic.twitter.com/jPwsjSHAeV
— Buffalo Schools (@Buffalo_Schools) November 20, 2022