Snow arrives with a vengeance in Buffalo

Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. – After an unprecedented snowless November and December with temperatures in the 60s, Buffalo got hammered Thursday by one of the heaviest snowfalls it has ever seen.

A storm that moved in on Christmas Eve dropped more than 2 feet of new snow on the ground, a near-record level that shut down streets, offices and the airport. At least one traffic death was blamed on the storm.

When the snow is tallied today, areas that were barely dusted all season will have seen more than 4 feet since Monday, forecasters said.

“I come up here about once a year just to remind myself why I live in Florida,” said Jay Patterson of Orlando, who was among travelers stranded at the Buffalo airport when it closed midmorning.

From 8 p.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday, 29.8 inches of snow fell at the National Weather Service’s airport measuring station, making it the second snowiest 24-hour period in Buffalo history. The 25.2 inches that fell from Monday to Tuesday is No. 4.

Pedestrians struggled through chest-high drifts. Mercy Hospital put out a call for volunteers with four-wheel-drive vehicles to pick up staff members unable to get in. Most major roads into and out of Buffalo were closed, including about 50 miles of the New York State Thruway.

Meteorologist Darin Figurskey said large masses of cold air were siphoning moisture from Lake Erie and dropping it in bands of snow.

“These bands just keep going back and forth, back and forth,” Figurskey said.

Mary McGuire tried shoveling a path through waist-high snow in her driveway after staying home from work. “I sell cars, and nobody’s buying a car today,” she said, “and if they want to, if they can dig it out, it’s theirs.”

The snow came while schoolchildren and many others were on vacation, meaning fewer vehicles were on the roads. “If there’s any plus, that’s it,” streets commissioner Paul Sullivan said.

Police said Beverly Catanese, 50, was killed when her car was struck Wednesday by a pickup truck on an icy street in Lewiston, north of Buffalo.

City, county and state workers were sent home around midday, about the same time a storm band passed through downtown, producing near-whiteout conditions. Mayor Anthony Masiello urged motorists to stay away from the city.

An additional foot of snow was possible overnight into Friday and more snow was forecast through the weekend.

West Seneca had 41 inches of snow on the ground at midday Thursday.

Private plow drivers who had been waiting for work found the going rough. One pickup spun its wheels for hours on a side street as residents pitched in with shovels to free the plow.

It was a drastic change for a community that enjoyed its first-ever November without snow, and recorded only 1 1/2inches before Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Day, 25.2 inches fell in parts of the city, ranking No. 3 in Buffalo’s history for a 24-hour period.

“We had such a good fall and a great summer. What are you going to do?” asked Joe Jacobbi, working the takeout counter at his pizza parlor. “It came so late in the season that at least spring isn’t too far away.”