Over Two Dozen Deaths Blamed on Lake Effect Blizzard in Buffalo

Posted: December 27, 2022 8:47 am

At least 27 deaths have been blamed on a monster lake effect blizzard in western New York. Here is the latest on this deadly storm that slammed into Buffalo and its environs over the Christmas holiday weekend.

Cold Temperatures and Blizzard Conditions Distinguish Holiday Weekend

It was anything but a peaceful Christmas for much of western New York state after the same storm that ushered in a deep freeze for a large part of the central U.S. also fired up the lake effect snow machine. The city of Buffalo is reporting 20 deaths due to the storm while an additional seven more fatalities happened in the greater western New York region.

The bulk of the deaths happened as a result of the bitterly cold temperatures. Dozens of motorists were stranded on roadways due to the heavy snow, measuring nearly 4 feet in the hardest hit areas. A few deaths were reported after first responders were unable to reach those in need of urgent medical attention due to the impassable roadways.

The National Guard was called in to Erie County on Saturday morning to try to rescue as many people as possible from their stranded vehicles. The troops were needed after local first responders could not reach many areas of Buffalo as conditions began to deteriorate rapidly Friday night and into Saturday. As of Monday, there are still many vehicles abandoned in the city, complicating efforts to clear roads as the snow winds down.

Record-breaking Rain Before the Snow

Prior to the cold air moving in Friday, Buffalo was only seeing rain. The city recorded 1.98 inches of rain on Friday, shattering the past daily record of 1.73 inches. The influx of Arctic air translated to the rain changing over to heavy snow. Strong winds then turned this snow into a blizzard with zero-mile visibility lasting for almost 16 hours at the Buffalo airport.

The Buffalo Niagara International Airport has recorded 43 inches of snow out of this system as of midday Monday. The airport hit 22.3 inches of accumulation on Friday with another 17.9 inches falling on Christmas Eve. The airport remained closed over the weekend.

Although the nearby city of Niagara Falls lifted the travel ban on Christmas morning, city officials asked residents to practice extreme caution if they decide to leave their homes. Despite the blizzard warning expiring on Sunday morning in Buffalo and beyond, the metropolitan area was still experiencing lake effect snow into Monday.

Widespread power outages were another complicating factor of this intense blizzard. There were still over 12,000 customers without power throughout Erie County when Christmas morning dawned.

This is the second time this season that Buffalo has been hammered with a massive snow event. A blizzard in mid-November delivered over 80 inches of snow in some parts of the city, with the southern suburbs taking on the worst of the conditions. The Christmas event hit slightly farther to the north, bringing the worst of the impacts to the downtown area and up through the Niagara Peninsula.

While the heaviest of the snow has let up over the last several hours, it will take quite some time for conditions on the roads to return to normal. Residents are also still dealing with a high risk of frozen pipes and power outages.

Beyond Buffalo

In addition to the Buffalo area, other parts of the region also picked up significant amounts of snow. Areas located downwind of Lake Ontario saw snowfall measuring nearly 2 feet. Western Michigan recorded 1 – 2 feet of new accumulation.

There is hope on the horizon for those tired of this extreme weather. Temperatures will start to inch up throughout the week with the mercury hitting above the freezing mark by the end of the week for this region of the U.S. The moisture will also let up in the coming days, giving crews time to clear roads and restore power.

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