Arctic blast continues to bring lake-effect snow, travel troubles
A blast of Arctic air associated with a storm from Canada is still causing trouble on some roads downwind of the eastern Great Lakes as bands of snow continue and shift around.
This time-lapse video from Warrens, Wisconsin, shows how quickly driving conditions on Interstate 94 turned dangerous as soon as heavy snow showers came rolling in the area on Dec. 4.
Even as the Canadian storm that triggered intense lake-effect snow and heavy snow squalls and brought the first flakes of the season to much of the Interstate 95 Northeast is moving away, shifting Arctic breezes will cause lingering bands of lake-effect snow to shift around into Saturday off lakes Erie and Ontario, AccuWeather meteorologist say.
Lake-effect snow, which began around midweek, brought a fresh few feet of snow to some Great Lakes communities on top of the snow that fell last weekend. Far-reaching snow squalls quickly covered roads and triggered scores of accidents and road closures in the region.
While the worst of the lake-effect has passed, some lingering bands in upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania will still make travel slippery.
On Thursday, winds from the northwest caused bands of heavy lake-effect snow to orientate to the southeastern shorelines throughout the Great Lakes from northern Wisconsin and Michigan to northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western and central New York.
The bands from Thursday to Friday morning were frequent in number but not all that intense. However, as the winds become more westerly for a time, the bands will consolidate into one or two thick plumes of heavy snow. Within these thicker bands, fresh accumulations from Friday to Saturday will range from a few inches to a foot or so. In the most intense bands, some roads could again close with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ fresh snowfall of 24 inches.
Away from the lingering lake-effect snow and flurries, most locations in the coastal mid-Atlantic and New England can expect dry conditions into Saturday with much less wind than compared to Wednesday night. But even a gusty breeze with the frigid air can be painful for those spending time outdoors. Winds were still strong enough to trigger flight delays at some of the major Northeast hubs on Friday morning and midday.
Even with less wind on Friday, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures were in the 10s F along much of the I-95 Northeast and in the frigid single digits across the interior at the start of the day.
Arctic air being felt in the Southeast states
On Friday morning, temperatures dipped into the 20s in Atlanta; Charlotte, North Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; and Columbia, South Carolina; for example. This is 10-15 degrees below the historical average for early December.
Since a breeze often accompanies the frigid air, the cold can penetrate poorly insulated locations and lead to frozen and bursting pipes.
The frigid blast, while brief, will add to the hardships to Hurricane Helene victims over the southern Appalachians who are still living without proper shelter.
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