Buffalo hit by THUNDERSNOW storm: Travel ban in place as 'life-threatening' storm hits

Terrifying snowstorms have hit Buffalo as Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and banned travel on the roads.

Western New York has been pounded by heavy snowfall – with thunder and lightning causing 'near zero visibility'.

Heaps of snow have been falling from the sky, with the weather showing no signs of slowing down, with the unusual phenomenon being caused by early-season lake-effect snowstorms.

Buffalo has been buried by three inches of the white stuff, with the National Weather Service warning that there could be historic levels of up to four inches.

Other areas are being affected by the blistering snowstorm, with as much as six feet of snow predicted to fall by Sunday.

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in preparation for the storm, which she characterized as 'life-threatening.'

The National Weather Service said: 'The snowfall will produce near zero visibility, difficult to impossible travel, damage to infrastructure, and paralyze the hardest-hit communities.

'Very cold air will accompany this event, with temperatures 20 degrees below normal forecast by the weekend. Historic snowfall exceeding 4 feet is likely around Buffalo.'

A man shovels snow during a snowstorm as extreme winter weather hits Buffalo,  in upstate New York

Emergency vehicles shovelled snow from roads as a travel ban was put in place, with Gov Hochul warning that the storm could be 'life-threatening'

Buffalo has been buried by three inches of the white stuff, with the National Weather Service warning that there could be historic levels of up to four inches

Residents in Buffalo started trying to shift the piles of snow that is blocking their homes amid a countywide travel ban for safety

Six million people in five Great Lakes states, from Wisconsin to New York, have been put under snow alerts from Friday.

According to the National Weather Service, snow produced through the lake effect will continue until Sunday.

Areas east of Lakes Erie and Ontario could see snowfall at a rate of more than three inches per hour, with gusty winds and lightning also slamming the areas.

Speaking on Thursday, Gov. Hochul declared a state of emergency for 11 counties, adding: ‘That level of snow coming down with that intensity is what creates the dangerousness the lack of ability to see on the roads.

‘When it’s coming down at that rate, it is almost impossible to clear the road to make it safe to travel. It will not be safe for a considerable amount of time for motorists to go back on the roads.’

She has been urging residents to take caution over the weekend, warning that the ‘major, major’ snowstorm could be as life-threatening as the November 2014 storm which killed 20 people.

Commercial traffic has been banned since Thursday afternoon on 130 miles of the New York State Thruway in the Rochester and Buffalo areas.

Other parts of major interstates – including 90, 290 and 990 – also have also been shut down.

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in preparation for the storm, which she characterized as 'life-threatening

The National Weather Service said: 'The snowfall will produce near zero visibility, difficult to impossible travel, damage to infrastructure, and paralyze the hardest-hit communities'

Western New York has been pounded by heavy snowfall – with thunder and lightning causing 'near zero visibility'

A view of a truck with plow on the street during a snowstorm as extreme winter weather hits Buffalo, New York

According to the National Weather Service, snow produced through the lake effect will continue until Sunday

Officials in Erie County, which includes Buffalo, also declared a state of emergency and banned driving from Thursday night.

They added: ‘The lake effect snow from (the storm) is very heavy and may cause tree branches to fall and damage vehicles, property or powerlines. 

'Watch where you park and be aware of your surroundings if going outside.’

The storm’s most intense snow is expected to lash the Buffalo area, where more than 4 feet could pile, making for a forecast not seen in more than 20 years.

The city’s highest three-day snowfall is 56.1 inches, which occurred in December 2001

Residents in Williamstown, Oswego County, had 24 inches of snow on Thursday evening and Oneida County saw 14 inches of the white stuff. 

Because of the weather emergency,  the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns NFL game in Orchard Park New York, has been moved to Detroit. 

Other areas affected by the storm include parts of the Upper Peninsula and the western Lower Peninsula of Michigan, where gusty winds and heavy snow will also cause near zero visibility and unsafe travel conditions. 

As the snow started falling Thursday evening, residents in upstate New York began posting videos online of lightning flashing across the sky and thunder booming through the night.

'THUNDERSNOW!!!!!!' declared one in a video that showed a snow-covered neighborhood decked out in Christmas decor as thunder sounded. 

A reporter for Spectrum News1, Kevin Hayes, posted a video from a last-minute trip to a Wegmans supermarket in Hamburg, New York.

The video captured a flash of lightning as snow poured down across the supermarket's parking lot, with a roll of thunder close on its heels.

A child plays in the deep snow in Hamburg, New York, as more flurries are on their way upstate

Officials in Erie County, which includes Buffalo, also declared a state of emergency and banned driving from Thursday night

Snowfall in Buffalo as of Thursday afternoon, well before the brunt of the blizzard arrived

Thundersnow storms are similar to typical summer thunderstorms but bring with them snow instead of rain.

They usually occur during lake effect storms in the early winter when warmer air from the lakes mingles with colder storm clouds, according to The New York Post.

The Buffalo storm air coming off Lake Erie - which still hovers around 52 degrees - collided with cold blizzard clouds and created electrical charges that burst into lightning and thunder.

'When that happens, you get a lot of converging air at the surface and a lot of rising air in very narrow bands that cause very localized amounts of snow to kind of just dump out,' Geoff Bansen, a meteorologist for Fox News, told The Post.

'You don't typically see a lot of light snow with events of this magnitude; most of the snow is moderate to heavy, and it's just a matter of where those moderate bands set up,' he said. 

'It could be whiteout conditions at point A, and then you go point B five miles up the road, it could be nothing.'

Governor Hochul urged western New Yorkers to stay off the roads until 7pm Friday

Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in preparation for the storm, which she characterized as 'life-threatening,' on Wednesday

Governor Hochul urged western New Yorkers to stay off the roads until 7pm Friday. 

'When it's coming down at that rate, it is almost impossible to clear the road to make it safe to travel, so you have to let the snow accumulate,' she said. 

About 130 miles of the New York Thruway was closed down as of 4pm today in preparation for the storm.

'What we're talking about is a major, major storm. This is considered an extreme event, an extreme weather event. That means it's dangerous; it also means it's life-threatening,' Hochul said while declaring the state of emergency. 

The declaration freed up state response and recovery resources, as well as put the National Guard on standby.

The declaration freed up state response and recovery resources, as well as put the National Guard on standby