New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency Tuesday for several counties in and around Buffalo, where a severe winter storm has already covered parts of the region in over three feet of snow.
The National Guard will be deployed to the affected communities to residents dig out, according a statement on the New York State governor’s website. Forecasters are predicting the snowy conditions could last through the week.
“This storm may persist until Friday morning with the potential for another two feet of snow,” Cuomo said in the statement. “New Yorkers in these areas should exercise extreme caution, and stay off the roads until conditions are clearer and safer.”
Four people have died due to the storm so far, including three from heart attacks and one who was fatally pinned while pushing a car out of snow, ABC News’ Buffalo affiliate WKBW reported. Meanwhile, hundreds of cars remain stranded on roads as temperatures plummeted across the nation — all 50 states experienced freezing temperatures Tuesday.
Snow levels are forecasted to reach over six feet in some parts of Western New York areas, while other spots have experienced snowfall rates of 4 to 5 inches an hour. The massive snowstorm is a result of what’s called the “lake effect,” in which moisture over the Great Lakes freezes into snow and blows onto land. The lake effect also results in a strange phenomenon where areas as close as a few minutes of driving from snow-pounded towns have almost no snow at all.
The snow storm is expected to continue through at least Thursday, reaching parts of central New York, before dissipating. It may even break Buffalo’s all-time record of 82 inches of snow falling over five days in 2001, according to Buffalo News.
Read next: More Snow Expected in Buffalo’s Deadly Winter Storm
Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.
- Essay: The Tyre Nichols Videos Demand Solemnity, Not Sensationalism
- For People With Disabilities, Losing Abortion Access Can Be a Matter of Life or Death
- Inside the Stealth Efforts to Smuggle Starlink Internet Into Iran
- Natasha Lyonne on Poker Face and Creating Characters Who Subvert Leading-Lady Tropes
- How to Help the Victims and Community After the Monterey Park Shooting
- Why Grocery Staples Are So Expensive Right Now
- Quantum Computers Could Solve Countless Problems—and Create a Lot of New Ones
- Where to Watch All of the 2023 Oscar Nominees
- How to Be Mindful if You Hate Meditating
