Whiteout conditions to ensue as feet of lake-effect snow blast parts of northeastern US

As the coldest air of the season so far blasts across the Great Lakes, bands of heavy lake-effect snow will be unleashed from the middle to the end of the week.

The lake-effect snow event will create local blizzards and dangerous travel conditions downwind of the Great Lakes from Wednesday through Friday.

With the magnitude of the cold air coming in, a dangerous situation could unfold beginning at midweek. This is the type of lake-effect snow that can not only blind motorists suddenly but could also strand motorists on the highway.

Highways most likely to suffer the extreme effects from this lake-effect snow event are I-75, I-81, I-90, I-94, I-96 and I-196.

If you must travel through the lake-effect snow area, make sure your vehicle is equipped to handle the snow. Pack extra blankets in your car in case you get stuck for a number of hours.

Anyone venturing out during the lake-effect snow event should travel slowly and cautiously as spin-outs become more likely in adverse winter weather conditions.

While the bands of snow will shift initially, they are not likely to continue to shuffle around as much as last week's event.

This time, more significant snow can be expected to fall on the Buffalo and Watertown, New York, areas into Wednesday with several inches likely. Enough snow will fall to slow travel in the Buffalo metro area.

During Wednesday, the bands of snow from lakes Superior and Michigan will shift southward and end up in a northwest-to-southeast orientation. Bands of snow off lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario will shift to a west-to-east orientation during late Wednesday and Wednesday night.

The orientation of the bands of snow will roughly remain unchanged from Wednesday night to Friday.

"While the overall duration of the lake-effect snow event is likely to be shorter than that of last week, the bands of snow will persist in local areas for a long time," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Wimer. "This means that very heavy snowfall will occur in some communities due to the persistent nature of the snow bands."

The magnitude of the cold air will cause the snow to become very dry and fluffy. Snowfall rates of 2-4 inches per hour can occur. In the most persistent bands of snow, 2 feet or more of snow can bury some communities.

"A very persistent and heavy lake-effect band may develop along part of the south shore of Lake Ontario, which could produce phenomenal snowfall on Thursday in the Rochester, New York, area," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

Such a band of snow is possible as moisture will be gathered from lakes Superior, Huron and Ontario.

The snow will also be subject to extensive blowing and drifting, due to strong, gusty winds.

Whiteout conditions are anticipated and some of the snow squalls can be accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Flurries could extend east of the Appalachians during Thursday. The best chance of a couple of passing snow showers will be from north of Philadelphia to New York City and Boston.

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