In Hamburg, a city of 56,000 people in upstate New York that borders Lake Erie, a huge winter storm caused a snowfall of almost 2 meters in 24 hours.
“It’s crazy, I went to the basement, we can’t even open the door. I can’t believe it,” said a resident from his balcony, dominating the thick white coat falling on the town.
As reported by New York Times, the amount of powder observed in the last few days could even be a record. In Erie County, which also includes the city of Buffalo, so much snow has never fallen within 24 hours: 1.70 meters were measured, with some 15 centimeters per hour.
“A Historic Record”
The previous record was from 1966, when 1.27 meters fell in one day. “We believe we will break an all-time record for the most snowfall in 24 hours in New York state,” said Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The images shared by the American media are impressive. Residential areas are completely covered. On Saturday, local residents were busy clearing their driveways when not busy extricating their sunken car.
“At the moment we are waiting. As soon as the main roads are free, we will try to get back in the car,” said another Hamburger who had patiently made the effort.
Officials said two people died as a result of the storm and 280 others had to be rescued. 1600 residents were without electricity on Saturday. Many streets in Buffalo have been closed to traffic to prevent possible accidents.
A powerful cold descent
This historical phenomenon is explained by the meeting of a very strong cold descent from Canada with temperatures around -20 degrees and the still relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes of the region. After a hot summer it still fluctuates around 15 degrees.
This contrast is the origin of the currently observed snowfall. And the current remaining northeast alignment is on the southeast slope of the Great Lakes where the city of Buffalo is located.
After concentrating on the Great Lakes, the storm is expected to gradually drop further south in the coming hours, reaching New York, the United States’ largest city. Though the region is used to snowfall, it’s its earlyness and intensity that has impressed observers this year.
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