'Terrible idea': Farmer helps save campers as lake-effect snowstorm slams Northeast
Almost four feet of snow had already fallen in some parts of the Northeast by Sunday and more was on the way as the first major lake-effect snow pounded the region, snarling holiday travel and prompting a heroic rescue of three stranded campers.
Adding to the weather woes, temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal over parts of the Upper Midwest and the eastern third of the country for days, the National Weather Service warned.
An icy cold flow of air over the relatively warm surfaces of the Great Lakes was forecast to produce additional waves of snow through Tuesday. In New York state, "several feet of snow" was expected in Jefferson County, which borders Lake Ontario.
Parts of the county have already been hit with more than 40 inches of snow since late last week. The Lorraine Fire Department was called in Saturday to rescue the stranded campers, but needed help finding them − and cutting a path through the snow.
Enter Doug Moore, 36, a beef farmer and lifelong Lorraine resident.
"A guy and two kids thought it was a great idea to go camping in a tent," Moore told Paste BN. "It was a terrible idea."
Moore said the group was "back maybe a mile-and-a-half in the woods and had no idea where they were." Moore said he was familiar with the area and had a good idea where they could be found. He cut a swath through the snow in his tractor, and fire department rescuers brought the group to the fire station and warmed them up.
"I don't know what possessed them to camp there," Moore said Sunday. "But it's good they are safe because it hasn't stopped snowing."
Developments:
∎ A freeze warning could be issued for some Gulf Coast states later this week, the weather service said.
∎ The NFL Buffalo Bills will host the San Francisco 49ers at the outdoors Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday night. The area has seen almost two feet of snow in the last day and the game-time forecast calls for below-freezing temperatures, winds around 10 mph, and snow flurries. Fans were warned to expect difficult road conditions getting to the game.
∎ Sunday marked the first day of "meteorological winter," a three-month season ending March 1. "Astronomical winter" begins with the winter solstice Dec. 21 and will end March 20.
A lot more snow could fall by Tuesday
Another 6 to 18 inches was forecast to fall from Cleveland to the New York-Pennsylvania border, with locally higher amounts possible, the National Weather Service in Cleveland said.
The weather service office in Buffalo, New York, said the "intense lake-effect band" would pound some areas with 3 to 4 inches of snow per hour. The office said snow warnings and winter weather advisories would be in place until at least Monday for locations east and southeast of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and until Tuesday evening for some counties.
"Very poor visibility will make travel impossible at times," the weather service cautioned.
Little relief was in sight. A separate storm was forecast to slide southward out of Canada and bring an additional wave of snow to the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast from Tuesday to Thursday. Wind gusts of over 40 mph are possible, the weather service said.
Almost 4 feet of snow have already fallen in some areas
Some of the hardest hit areas so far were in New York state, where several communities reported more than 40 inches of snow. The tiny Jefferson County village of Copenhagen, just east of Lake Ontario, had recorded 46 inches of snow as of early Sunday and was expecting another couple of inches at night. A 60-mile stretch of the New York State Thruway, closed Saturday, was open Sunday but banned commercial vehicles.
Gaylord, Mich., between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, had almost 34 inches as of Saturday evening, and snow showers were forecast for every day this week. The Lake Erie city of Ashtabula, Ohio, had 27 inches.
Interstates overwhelmed with snow in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, parts of interstates 86 and 90 were closed for extended periods during the height of the storm there. Gov. Josh Shapiro called in the National Guard to help stranded drivers and signed a disaster declaration for Erie County. State Transportation Department official Brian McNulty said the storm presented a "unique challenge" and urged residents in the affected areas to stay off the roads.
“With snow intensities ranging from two to four inches per hour for extended periods of time, we are working as hard as possible to make the roads safe and passable,” McNulty said.
Temperatures plunging in Midwest, East
The bitter cold that gripped much of the Midwest and East was forecast to remain in place for multiple days. The coldest air of the season so far was sweeping across the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Northeast.
AccuWeather called for high temperatures Sunday only in the teens across North Dakota and northern Minnesota and the 30s across parts of Illinois, Kentucky, and West Virginia. High temperatures on Monday will remain in the teens across the Dakotas and northern Minnesota, with highs in the 30s from Missouri to northern New England.
Some locations across the interior Northeast will observe wind gusts up to 20 to 30 miles per hour, AccuWeather predicted.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)