Kathy Hochul declares state of emergency in several NY counties over lake-effect snowstorm

The third significant lake-effect snowstorm since the end of November is blasting Great Lakes communities with strong winds and heavy snow that has led to treacherous travel conditions and a state of emergency in parts of New York state.New York Gov.Kathy Hochul announced on X that she had declared a state of emergency in several counties, including Jefferson and Erie counties, due to the expected feet of additional snowfall expected through the rest of the week.In addition, a tandem and empty tractor-trailer ban has been implemented in both directions on the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90) from Exit 53 west to the Pennsylvania state line, as well as for portions of Route 5, U.S.

219, N.Y.Route 400 and Interstate 86.“Our first responders and emergency crews are on the ground ready to deal with this storm,” Hochul said in a post on X.

“I urge New Yorkers to take precautions to stay safe.”The snow has been falling fast and furious across portions of Pennsylvania and New York, with several communities already picking up more than two feet of snow.Both Eden and Orchard Park both picked up more than two feet, with Hamburg getting close at 22 inches.Orchard Park has also issued a local state of emergency and implemented a driving ban that will be in effect until further notice.“Town Highway and Village (Department of Public Works) crews have been working throughout the night to remove snow from roadways,” police said in a Facebook post.“Our 911 center and police personnel are handling an increasing number of calls for service.

Please adhere to the driving ban as we all work collectively to keep our community safe.”There were also reports of rare thundersnow in the Watertown, New York, area, early Thursday morning.Thundersnow is when thunder and lightning are observed while precipitation falls in the frozen variety.Similar to thunderstorms, thundersnow requires a significant amount of atmospheric instability, and in...