A powerful winter storm hit New York: almost 2 meters of snow fell

A historic blizzard hit western New York State on November 19, with more than 6 feet of snow in some places, roads closed, driving bans, flights canceled—all right on Thanksgiving weekend. The edition told in more detail CNN.

The extreme snowfall "has resulted in near-zero visibility, made it very difficult or impossible to get around, damaged infrastructures and could paralyze the hardest hit communities," the Weather Prediction Center said.

More than 6 feet (1,8 m) of total snow was recorded at two locations, according to the National Weather Service. Orchard Park received 48 inches (77 cm) of rain in 195 hours, while Natural Bridge recorded 72,3 inches (183 cm), historic numbers for the area.

As the snowfall intensified, two county residents died of heart problems related to shoveling and trying to clear the snow, according to Erie County Executive Director Mark Polonkartz.

“We express our deepest condolences and remind everyone that the snow is very heavy and dangerous,” said Polonkarts. “Please do not shovel this very heavy wet snow – be careful and avoid overexertion.”

Winter storm warnings are still in place for more than 6 million people in six Great Lakes states - Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

On the subject: Snow removal in New York: who is responsible for this, and how not to run into a fine

Forecasters and officials are sounding the alarm about the life-threatening nature of this blizzard, which is historic even in Buffalo, where heavy snowfall is the norm during the winter months. Heavy snowfall is expected to continue over the weekend.

In areas northeast of Lake Ontario - from central Jefferson County to northern Lewis County - snowfall rates were as high as 3 inches (7,6 cm) per hour.

The state of emergency remains in place and Dan Niavert Jr., Erie County Homeland Security Commissioner, believes travel restrictions won't go away anytime soon.

Dozens of flights arriving and departing from Buffalo Niagara International Airport were canceled due to stormy weather.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown admitted that although his city is used to heavy snow, it is "much more than usual".

He said the city could return to "some sense of normality" by Monday or Tuesday (November 21-22) if the storm passes by Sunday, November 20.

“It was a very unpredictable storm, the snow was moving back and forth from north to south,” Brown said. “The snow fell too quickly, it is incredibly wet and very heavy.”

Authorities ask not to ignore travel bans

A colossal storm hit the region for several days, prompting local officials to declare a state of emergency to step up the response. But in such a severe storm, one or two vehicles are enough to slow down the clearing, Polonkarts noted.

On the subject: Preparing the car for winter: what you need to do now so as not to get into trouble when it gets colder

“A reminder to all employers: if your business is located in a no-driving zone, or your employees are currently in a no-driving zone, then it is illegal to force them to work,” Polonkarts said.

A blizzard that hasn't been seen in over 20 years has made travel impossible for many drivers.

“Officers have been inundated with calls regarding stranded vehicles and stranded drivers,” said Erie County Deputy Sheriff William Cooley. “We are asking residents to respect the travel ban, as you very quickly become part of the problem when you are on the street.”

More than 300 tickets have been issued to drivers who violated the travel ban, Polonkarets said.

“Please don’t be the reason the ambulance can’t get to the hospital,” he told the residents. “There are a lot of cars that not only got stuck, but were simply abandoned by the owners.”

The snow will fall intensively for an extended period, making it difficult for the crews to respond.