An Arctic eruption threatens 230 million people as several meters of snow is expected to bury the Great Lakes

BUFFALO, N.Y – The first Arctic outbreak of the season will plunge temperatures across the country after Thanksgiving and create a prolonged lake-effect snow event in the Great Lakes, with several feet of snow expected to accumulate to “dangerous” levels by early next week. “Cold” wind chills of 15-30 degrees below zero across the northern Plains and upper Midwest.

As a Thanksgiving feast winter Storm leaves that Northeastit will begin to suck in arctic air Canada and bring the cold air up to the Southeast.

Temperature deviations until Saturday.
(FOX Weather)

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By Black Friday, nearly 230 million Americans will experience below-average temperatures.

According to NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center, wind chills are expected to fall well below zero across the northern Plains and upper Midwest.

Areas of the Dakotas and Minnesota experience dangerously cold temperatures that can cause hypothermia and frostbite if unprotected skin is exposed. In some areas, temperatures will drop to -30 to -40 degrees, taking wind chill into account.

Upper Midwest Wind Chill Forecast.
(FOX Weather)

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Travelers to these regions should definitely carry winter survival gear.

Several feet of lake-effect snow is expected from New York to Michigan

The coldest air of the season will move across the Great Lakes, where water temperatures are currently at record highs. The combination will produce a prolonged lake-effect snowstorm starting Friday and continuing into next week.

A lake-effect snow warning is in effect through Monday for more than 600,000 people in Western New York cities and towns along Lake Erie – including Orchard Park, where the Buffalo Bills are scheduled to play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. Cities and towns in central and northern New York along Lake Ontario – including Oswego and Watertown – are also under the warning.

Other areas at risk from lake effects in western New York, northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania are under a winter storm watch Friday through Monday. These include Buffalo, New York and Erie, Pennsylvania.

“This will be a protracted event,” said Kirk Apffel, senior forecaster for NWS Buffalo. “We expect there will be snow in the area from Friday through at least Monday.”

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Winter weather warnings for the Great Lakes region.
(FOX Weather)

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The Arctic outbreak is bad news for post-Thanksgiving travelers this weekend.

The WPC said there will likely be travel disruptions, particularly on Interstate 90 between Cleveland and Buffalo and on Interstate 81 north of Syracuse, New York

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The highest snow amounts are expected downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario as the lake effect snow event continues through most of next week.

“Colder air moving across the region over the holiday weekend will then set the stage for significant lake effect snow east of Lakes Erie and Ontario,” the National Weather Service office in Buffalo said. “Several feet of snow can be expected in the typical snow belts east of the lakes.”

Expected snow depths until next Wednesday.
(FOX Weather)

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The FOX Forecast Center is forecasting up to 4 feet of snow from far northeast Ohio across Erie, Pennsylvania, and areas near and south of Buffalo and Watertown, New York. Areas of western and northern Michigan along Lakes Michigan and Superior could also see more than a foot of snow by next Wednesday, with locally higher totals of more than 2 feet.