BUFFALO, N.Y. — Hundreds of motorists are stranded on a western New York highway today after an accident caused a backup and the idling cars became stuck overnight in heavy snow.

Authorities said 16 miles of eastbound lanes along Interstate 90 are closed in Buffalo’s eastern suburbs, along with a 10-mile westbound stretch.

State Trooper Daniel Golinski said the highway was closed shortly before 3 a.m. today after vehicles backed up behind a truck accident became buried in blowing snow.

The truck jackknifed around 8 p.m. Wednesday and has been removed, but crews were still working today to free the stranded vehicles, Golinski said.

“There’s a lot of work to do yet,” he said.

The lake-effect storm that began Wednesday dumped up to 2 feet of snow on the Buffalo area, forcing dozens of schools to cancel classes today. Power remains out for about 10,000 utility customers in eastern New York.

Golinski described the scene as “13 miles of bumper-to-bumper cars, two lanes each — three lanes each depending on where they are.”