Forecasts for Lake-Effect Snow in New York City, Michigan, via I-390 and U.S. Highway Traffic Warnings

Travel bans along I-86 from the Pennsylvania state line to I-390 and other roadways went into effect Friday afternoon, with lake-effect snow warnings in effect across parts of New York through Monday. The governor of New York urged residents to prepare for the lake-effect snow and warned them to stay off the roads because of reduced visibility and snow covered roads.

In southern Texas and Florida, there will be rain and storms. The rest of the country is expected to be mostly dry with normal or above-normal temperatures.

Flights into and out of Erie International Airport were canceled Friday and its operating status was listed as “closed” as of 4:56 p.m. ET until 12 p.m. ET Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Authority’s (FAA) National Airspace System. More than 2,300 flights on Friday have been delayed into, within and out of the United States, according to FlightAware.

“If you must drive, clear ice & snow from your car, pack an emergency kit, drive slowly, and leave extra space between vehicles,” the agency said in a post.

Southern states are also expected to feel “subfreezing” temperatures in the morning stretching from the Atlantic coast in the southeast to the Gulf Coast, including possible frost in northern parts of Florida, the NWS says. The subfreezing temperatures can “kill crops and other sensitive vegetation as well as damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” the NWS says.

The Midwest will see 20 and 30 degree temperatures while Northeast parts of the country will see 30 to 40-degree temperatures. Wind chills will dip below zero in upper portions of the Midwest and northern Plains, with Minnesota and North and South Dakota seeing wind chills below -15 degrees.

The weather service reported that the city of Gaylord, Michigan set a new single-day record for snow on Friday, with 24.8 inches (63 centimeters). The previous record for the most inches was from 1942.

Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow, which happens when warm, moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead. Parts of the Upper Peninsula are buried in over 2 feet (63 centimeters) of snow due to Bands of Snow that have been Rolling off Lake Superior for the past three days.

The heavy snow led to a state of emergency declaration in parts of New York and a disaster declaration in Pennsylvania, with officials warning of dangerous conditions for Thanksgiving travelers trying to return home.

Part of I-90 in Pennsylvania was closed, as were westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania. Nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of New York, Ohio and Michigan, and 29 inches (73 centimeters) was recorded in Pennsylvania’s northwestern tip.

The city of Erie, Pennsylvania said that it was limiting travel to emergency responders and essential employees until further notice. The snow and slippery conditions resulted in vehicles getting stuck and blocking intersections and streets, officials said, and people were urged to shelter in place and allow crews to clear neighborhoods during a lull in the storm.

With roads in some parts impassable in northwestern Pennsylvania, scores of people took refuge overnight in the lobby and hallways of a fully booked Holiday Inn near I-90. Hotel staffer Jeremiah Weatherley said dozens of people rolled in as the snow piled up, and workers opened the conference room and gave them blankets to sleep on the floor.

In Buffalo, officials with the NFL’s Bills asked people to sign up to shovel at the stadium this season, including the expected heavy snowfall ahead of Sunday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. The team will provide food and drinks for $20 an hour.

Snowfall at the Treetops Resort: First snowfall rate forecasts for next year’s snowmaking machine set. The weather forecast for September 15 – April 30

She said that there was 27 inches of snow on the ground just northeast of Ironwood. In the eastern part of the peninsula, 2 feet (61 centimeters) fell in Munising.

Treetops Resort has 80 acres of ski hill terrain, among its 2,000 acres, and the snowfall was good news, according to the resort’s director of recreation. It boosted the base that snowmaking machines will be adding to in the coming days before the resort opens for the season next weekend.

“Obviously when you get that much snowfall, it’s great for the snow hills, but it’s bad for the parking lots, so we’re kind of digging out,” Hoeh said. “But we’re close to being ready to pull the trigger on skiing, and the natural snowfall definitely helps.”