Buffalo faces another wintry wallop
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A new blast of lake-effect snow roared through western New York with thunder and lightning today, raising to nearly 6 feet the three-day total in parts of the Buffalo area.
But even as it strained roofs and stalled daily life, the snow wasn't the only worry. Forecasters warned a rapid weekend warmup and rain could turn all that snow into floods.
"It's a force of nature, a massive force of nature," Deputy Erie County Commissioner Richard Tobe said during a morning briefing, where he announced an eighth storm-related death. "We're prepared, but the storm is gigantic and persistent."
Even for Buffalo, a place that typically shrugs at snow, this was a stunning snowfall — the kind of onslaught folks will be telling their grandchildren about.
Those living in the Buffalo area were already buried under as much as 5½ feet of snow Tuesday and Wednesday, and they awoke to the threat of 1 to 3 feet more. The roving lake-effect band dropped several inches on the city of Buffalo and then pushed into towns to the south, National Weather Service meteorologist David Zaff said.