Snow buries upstate N.Y.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A ferocious storm dumped massive piles of snow on parts of upstate New York, trapping residents in their homes and stranding motorists on roadways, as temperatures in all 50 states fell to freezing or below.
Even hardened Buffalo residents were caught off-guard Tuesday as more than 5 feet fell in parts of the city. Authorities said snow totals by this afternoon could top 6 feet in the hardest-hit areas south of Buffalo, with another potential 1 to 2 feet expected by Thursday.
Cold weather enveloped the entire country Tuesday, leading to record-low temperatures more familiar to January than November. Racing winds and icy roads caused accidents, school closings and delays in municipal operations from the Midwest to the South even where snowfall was low or mercifully absent.
Erie County, N.Y., officials said a 46-year-old man was discovered early today in his car, which was in a ditch and buried in snow in the town of Alden, 24 miles east of Buffalo. It was unclear how he died.
On Tuesday, county officials said four people had died, including three from heart attacks and one who was pinned beneath a car he was trying to free from the snow. Two of the heart attack victims were believed to be stricken while shoveling snow.
The storm was blamed for at least seven deaths in New York, New Hampshire and Michigan.
The snowstorm forced motorists in 150 vehicles, including a women’s basketball team, to ride out the onslaught in their vehicles. They waited for hours to be freed, with some waiting more than a day. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo deployed 150 members of the National Guard to help clear snow-clogged roads and remove abandoned vehicles. By early today, a Thruway official said most but not all passenger vehicles had been cleared.
The lake-effect snow created a stark divide: In downtown Buffalo and north of the city, there was a mere dusting, while in the south parts, snow was everywhere. The snow band was so apparent, that the wall of snow could be seen from a mile away. In a region accustomed to highway-choking snowstorms, this one is being called one of the worst in memory.
