Two people have died following historic snowfall in and around Buffalo, New York that slammed the area Friday, with more than six feet of snow in some locations.
“Unfortunately, we must report the passing of two Erie County residents – associated with cardiac events related to exertion during shoveling/snow blowing. We send our deepest sympathies and remind all that this snow is very heavy and dangerous,” Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted Friday.
The newest HRRR model run has 70 inches of snow falling in less than 24 hours just south of Buffalo, NY.
This is shaping up to be potentially one of the most extreme snowstorms in US history. pic.twitter.com/PDP0bA4pzc
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) November 17, 2022
The storm hit Western New York Friday, prompting public officials to issue warnings to residents about the dangerous nature of the storm.
New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray encouraged New Yorkers to prepare even if they might be “familiar” with heavy snowstorms. “I can’t stress enough the need for anyone in the path of this dangerous snowstorm to take action to prepare for several days of heavy snow, wind, dangerous travel conditions and the potential for power outages,” he stated, according to The Hill.
“This is considered an extreme event — an extreme weather event. That means it’s dangerous. It also means it’s life-threatening,” New York governor Kathy Hochul stated Thursday in anticipation of the storm, the Hill reported.
Dozens of flights have already been cancelled and roads have been closed, paralyzing the western part of the state the weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown believes the city could return to “some sense of normalcy” by Monday or Tuesday if the worst of the storm passes through by Sunday, per CNN.
“This has been a very unpredictable storm with the snow bands moving, back and forth, north to south. The snow has come down very fast, very wet, very heavy,” he said
Over six million people across Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York remain under winter weather advisories as the snow is expected to continue through the weekend. (RELATED: Freeze Alerts Issued Across Several States)