Heavy Lake Effect Snowstorm to Slam Western New York

A lake-effect snow warning hit western New York on Wednesday, and cities east of Lake Ontario like Buffalo could see up to 6 feet of snow by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service in a statement said this storm could bring "paralyzing snowfall" over the weekend.

"Colder air will pour across the region tonight with significant lake snows blossoming east of both lakes. This will be the start of a prolonged lake effect snow event which will likely include paralyzing snowfall for the Buffalo and Watertown areas late this week through the weekend," the NHC said on its website.

A steady strand of storms across Lake Erie on Wednesday created lake-snow effect with rates of 1-2 inches of snowfall from Chautauqua County's lakeshore into southern Erie County. Nighttime snowfalls could reach more than a foot.

Temperatures north of Lake Erie are expected to be much more frigid, and the precipitation more bountiful.

"Ongoing lake effect off Lake Ontario focused across Oswego County not quite as organized. Expect a better organization to the Lake Ontario band as we move through the overnight hours as colder air arrives," the NHC stated.

Thunder and lightning have not played a major role in this ongoing storm.

The storm is moving across Lake Erie and northeasterly into Lake Ontario on Wednesday night and into Thursday.

Expected snowfall and rapidly dropping temperatures are part of two systems colliding across the country late this week and into the weekend. A cold front is sweeping from the west into the Midwest while a blast of Artic air is swooshing down from the north.

NWS Buffalo stated this storm could produce continual snowfall through the entire weekend.

"This will be a long event, with heavy lake effect snow developing tonight and lasting all the way through the weekend," NWS Buffalo tweeted. "With the lake effect bands slowly changing orientations, no one location will see the heavy snow for the entire duration of the event."

Buffalo and western New York will take a hard hit throughout the weekend.

"Once this band sets up, it will remain fairly stationary late Thursday night and through the day Friday though there could be some varying persistence to the band, so this will still need to be considered. There continue to be hints of a weak shortwave trough moving through," NHC stated. "This as the band of snow will be oriented along the long axis of the lake will produce very intense snowfall rates of over 3 inches per hour. Seeing how this narrow, intense band of snow will then not oscillate much into Friday night, this is where this band will have the best chance to produce feet of snow. The highest totals may very well end up across the Buffalo Metro area."

The Buffalo Bills are scheduled to play at home this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

The overall storm already has affected college football games, including Wednesday night in Michigan