SNOWSTORM FORCES CLOSURE OF 132-MILE STRETCH OF NY THRUWAY

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Severe weather has shut down a 132-mile stretch of the Thruway in western New York for the second time since the epic November snowstorm.

The Thruway Authority closed Interstate 90 at midnight Thursday from Exit 46 outside Rochester to Exit 61 at Ripley, on the Pennsylvania border 60 miles southwest of Buffalo.

Lake-effect snow and high winds are causing hazardous driving conditions across western New York, where a section of Interstate 190 and other Buffalo-area highways remain closed Friday morning.

The National Weather Service says sections of western New York along Lake Erie could get up to 3 inches of snow per hour during Friday's storms.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WINTER_WEATHER_UPSTATE_NY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-09-07-10-26

[NeoGreen]

1. Just a little snow...

...again...

[JDDavis]

2. Good of them to close the Thruway

The other day in W. PA, a terrible pile-up accident on Interstate 80, about 17 cars and trucks and 3 deaths, during a rather brief snow "squall" with white-out conditions.

[Jefferson23]

4. I experienced white out snow conditions only once, and that was more than enough.

It seemed to come out of no where, fast and intense.

[JDDavis]

5. White-out snow is like a thunderstorn, but in winter

It happens, wind is often involved, little visibility, pull off to the side of the road, and wait, 15-30 minutes, it's usually gone.

Don't drive in it.

[starroute]

3. It's been much warmer this winter, so the lakes haven't frozen

Last year the ice put an early end to lake effect snows. This year not so much.

[greymattermom]

6. Great explanation

Of how climate change, aka global warming, can increase snow.

[OnlinePoker]

9. There is more ice than average this year (at least for the last 7 years)

This year, the Great Lakes has the 3rd highest concentration of ice coverage for the 10th of January of the last 7 years. 08-09 (on the 12th...the closest date NOAA gives) - 24.2%, 09-10 - 11.88%, 10-11 - 14.91%, 11-12 - 1.85%, 12-13 - 2.34%, 13-14 - 42.65%, 14-15 - 19.84%.

http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/statistic/statistic.html

On edit: Also, if you look at last weeks ice coverage graph from Canadian Ice Services in comparison to previous years, this year is just about at the median, and while the 80s-90s generally had a higher percentage of ice coverage by now, there were years where it was much lower (82-83, 86-87, 91-92, etc).

http://iceweb1.cis.ec.gc.ca/Prod20/page3.xhtml

[Earth_First]

7. This.

The snows off Lake Erie usually shut down around mid-January when the lake freezes.

This year has been an epic year with disastrous results.

Good luck, Buffalo!

[amandabeech]

8. Sounds bad, but you'll have to do more to beat the 193 vehicles and a semi load of fireworks

that's closed I-94 near Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Really, the Kalamazoo pile-up was/is of Blues Brothers quality.