Over 1.5 metres of snow have fallen on south Buffalo and part of New York state since Monday, and before it’s over, meteorologists expect over two metres to pile up.
That’s about the same height as an average hockey player, and the mountainous precipitation has already been linked to seven deaths.
A 47-year-old man found in his car, buried in snow in Alden, New York, became early Wednesday the latest fatality linked to the barrage of snow that started falling two days ago.
Three others died while shoveling snow and another while trying to push a car free, Buffalo News reports. New Hampshire and Michigan have each reported a blizzard-related death as well, according to the Associated Press. The National Guard has been called into free clogged arteries as the snow continues to fall. Current forecasts suggests the massive lake-effect storm will continue to dump snow on Buffalo and the surrounding area into Friday.
Parts of southern Ontario were also hit by the storm’s edges and it’s now inching towards Toronto, with meteorologists warning commuters to brace for a messy commute Wednesday evening. But the army likely won’t be called in: the Big Smoke is set for five to seven centimetres, not metres.
The cold snap swept across much of the U.S., with North Carolina closing schools and roads and usually warm Atlanta left shivering. Highways have been closed in multiple states and even winter-ready states like New York are struggling to cope.
The Niagara University’s women’s basketball team were stranded since 1 a.m. EST Tuesday and weren’t freed until late Wednesday. Many passengers trapped on New York highways hunkered down in their cars in temperatures
“It seemed like a nightmare. It just didn’t feel like it was going to end,” Bryce Foreback, 23, of Shicora, Pa., told The Associated Press by cellphone 20 hours into his wait for help. “I haven’t slept in like 30 hours and I’m just waiting to get out of here.”
Foreback had become stuck in a long line of cars near the Lackawanna toll booths just south of Buffalo about 10:30 Monday night.
“The lake-effect snow created a stark divide: In downtown Buffalo and north of the city, there was a mere dusting of precipitation, while in the south parts, snow was everywhere. The snow band that brought the snow was very much evident throughout the day as grey clouds persistently hovered over the southern part of the city. The band was so apparent, that the wall of snow could be seen from more than a kilometre away,” The Associated Press reports.
Buses, the state’s Amtrak train and myriad public services remain closed. The National Guard is tasked with freeing up roads and thorough fares.
Firefighters and other emergency responders have resorts to snowmobiles and carrying gurney’s down snow-fill streets, Buffalo News reports. But just like in Ontario, where Toronto is still dry as the southwest digs out, some parts of Buffalo are still raking leaves.
Check out some of yesterday’s most unbelievable images as shared online, collected here.
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