Widespread lake-effect snow event to create dangerous travel, whiteouts near Great Lakes

Winds will howl, temperatures will drop and the flakes will fly and pile up around the Great Lakes from Wednesday to Friday with impacts ranging from snow-clogged roads and travel disruptions to downed trees and power outages, AccuWeather meteorologists advise.

"This will be the most widespread lake-effect snow event of the season so far," AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin said.

Widespread lake-effect snow event to create dangerous travel, whiteouts near Great Lakes

In the most persistent bands of lake-effect snow, it may pile up at a rate of 2 inches per hour or more, which can overwhelm road crews and leave some motorists stranded. In the snowiest spots, the accumulation will be measured in feet.

In the heaviest snow areas downwind of lakes Superior and Erie-including parts of northern Michigan, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York-the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ snowfall for the event is 36 inches.

Some of the heaviest snow will occur in the towns just south of Buffalo, New York, from late Wednesday night to Thursday.

"In downtown Buffalo, heavy lake-effect snow is most likely from late Wednesday night into Thursday morning and will be accompanied by strong winds," AccuWeather Meteorologist Elizabeth Danco said. "Downtown Cleveland is expected to experience heavy lake snow and slippery travel mainly from Thursday into Thursday night," AccuWeather Supervisor of Forecasting Operations Alyson Hoegg added."

Lake-effect snow is not anticipated in downtown Chicago, but heavy snow is expected in northwestern Indiana and in the western and northern parts of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

Snow showers and locally heavy snow squalls will extend well beyond the lakes into parts of northeastern Indiana, northwestern Ohio, southeastern Michigan, western and northern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, southeastern New York and western New England.

"Some highways may close due to the heavy snowfall rate and perhaps chain-reaction accidents," Danco warned.

• Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+

Motorists traveling on interstates 75, 79, 80, 81, 86, 90 and 196 should monitor local forecast lake-effect and snow squall warnings and be prepared for rapidly changing road and visibility conditions.

Strong winds associated with the rapid arrival of Arctic air will lead to sporadic power outages and create large waves on the Great Lakes, potentially causing overwash and flooding on the eastern shores of the lakes.

Where temperatures plummet below freezing and into the 20s and 10s F, the splashing water will turn to ice.

"Strong winds will cause water to pile up on one side of each of the Great Lakes while lowering levels on the opposite shore," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. "Lake Erie, due to its orientation towards the anticipated winds and shallow depth, will be most susceptible to this condition."

After the lake-effect snow diminishes, a broader area of snow and mixed precipitation is expected to develop over the Central states this weekend.

That storm will gather over the Plains prior to the end of the week and expand across a large part of the Midwest with slippery travel for those heading home after Thanksgiving.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.