As you most likely saw on the news, Buffalo and surrounding areas got rocked by as much as 7 feet of snow last week. Snow was coming down so fast and so heavy, over 140 motorists became stuck in their cars on I-90, stranded for over 30 hours on 132 miles of closed highway. Tragically, there have been 13 fatalities associated with the storm.
Lake effect snow is a result of three combined factors: cold air; a large, warm lake; and heavy winds. Research has shown that November lake-effect events produce the highest amount of precipitation, due to the warm atmosphere holding more water vapor in comparison to colder months. Snowfall rates were estimated at up to 6 inches of snow per hour.
Here are the 10 craziest photos from the lake-effect storm in Buffalo, NY.
1. The wall of lake-effect snow moving over Buffalo.
2. Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the Buffalo Bills, blanketed in over 5ft of snow.
3. NY’s I-90 covered in snow, leaving over 140 motorists stranded.
4. Another view of NY I-90: over 130 miles of highway were shut down.
5. This guy, driving with a snow chunk the size of his car.
6. Homes in West Seneca, NY buried on Nov. 19th.
7. Imagine opening your garage to find this…
8. A bulldozer pushes snow removed from neighborhoods in South Buffalo.
9. A man faces a wall of snow as he digs out his driveway in Depew, NY.
10. Some residents were able to make the best of being stuck inside.
