At least 2 dead as western New York sees massive snowfall

Snow removal in Hamburg, New York following a blizzard.
(Image credit: John Normile/Getty Images)

At least two people died as a historic winter storm swept across western New York state, with some areas seeing up to six feet of snow from the blizzard, CNN reported Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said in a statement the snowfall "will produce near zero visibility, very difficult to impossible travel, damage to infrastructure, and may paralyze the hardest-hit communities." In a separate tweet, the center said the storm would be accompanied by "temperatures forecast to be 20 degrees below normal across parts of the region."

As the snow continues to fall, the NWS said snowfall totals beyond six feet have so far been seen in two locations. The first locale, Natural Bridge, has seen 72.3 inches since the start of the storm, a figure never before seen this early into the wintery season, according to the NWS. The second location, Orchard Park - home to the NFL's Buffalo Bills - has seen 77 inches in just the past two days alone.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Areas across western New York came to a standstill as a result of the weather, The New York Times reported, with roads and highways closed throughout the region.

While Buffalo itself did not see significant snowfall during the early hours of the storm, the weather soon took a turn for the worst, with whiteout conditions blanketing the city. Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz told the Times that the two deaths from the storm were attributed to cardiac events from people shoveling.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.