"Thunder snow" hits Buffalo area at start of monster storm
CBSN
Buffalo, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Thursday for parts of western New York ahead of a dangerous storm that had the potential to dump several feet of snow on some communities on the eastern ends of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
The worst snowfall was expected in Buffalo, where the National Weather Service said up to 4 feet might fall in some spots through Sunday, with periods of near-zero visibility. Other areas could get a foot or less of the lake-effect snow, which is caused by frigid air picking up copious amounts of moisture from the warmer lakes.
Snows began falling in Buffalo Thursday evening, and heavy snow punctuated by thunder and lightning -- so-called "thunder snow" -- moved in late Thursday and early Friday, quickly covering the ground and roads, as noted by the National Weather Service's Buffalo office:
