Heavy lake-effect snowfall is also expected in the area over the weekend, with up to 4 feet of rain forecast in parts of western New York by Christmas.
However, when combined with strong winds, the snow creates white patches. These conditions have created dangerous driving conditions, leading to a travel ban in parts of the region.
Located on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, Buffalo is currently threatened by a blizzard and is experiencing blinding snowfall and rising water levels. Visibility dropped to zero shortly after noon
“All my clothes are just a sheet of ice,” FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden said as the waves crashed on him from Lake Erie in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg.
Hamburg was evacuated due to rising water levels threatening to flood the low-lying area. Waves reaching heights of 14 to 18 feet crash against the coastline.
"Incredible - just the power of Mother Nature"
Wind also creates problems for Buffalo residents. Winds at Buffalo International Airport were 72 mph
The National Weather Service in Buffalo filmed the snow conditions to demonstrate the lack of visibility on the roads.
17 people died due to a winter storm that hit the United States. Temperatures in the states dropped to -45°C (-49°F). More than 200 million people, or roughly 60 percent of the US population, are reported to have a weather warning or advisory in place, and the severe cold is forecast to continue into the Christmas holidays.
According to information provided by the Kansas Highway Patrol, three people died as a result of collisions between different vehicles that occurred on Wednesday.
A severe winter storm continued to hit the United States on Christmas Eve with dangerous cold and heavy snowfall, leaving fatal car crashes, thousands of canceled flights and millions of people at risk of future power outages in its wake.
The huge footprint of winter weather and its timing during the busy holiday week make an Arctic blast especially dangerous. The National Weather Service on Friday said its warnings and advisories cover about 200 million people, 'one of the largest winter weather alerts and advisories ever,' forecasters said.
Nationwide, officials attribute at least 18 deaths to the hurricane.
About 50 vehicles collided in Ohio, killing at least 4 people. An 82-year-old woman was found dead outside her Michigan nursing home on Friday amid dangerously low temperatures. And in the Buffalo, New York area, which saw staggering records of rain and snowfall on Friday, two people died at their homes after rescuers were unable to contact them amid a historic snowstorm in the city.
Why this blizzard could be the worst blizzard in Buffalo history
The terrible combination of heavy snowfall, extreme winds and extreme cold could be unprecedented.
Buffalo endures a blizzard that the National Weather Service called "life-threatening", "once-in-a-generation" and "crippling".
The snowstorm is far from over. As the National Guard and first responders attempt to contact hundreds of stranded people, the blizzard warning remains in effect until Christmas morning.
It could very well end up as the worst storm in the city's history - not so much because of the amount of snow it produces, but because of the harsh combination of snow, extreme winds and extreme cold.
The weather service predicts another 1 to 3 feet of snow will fall before Sunday morning.
Don Paul, who has been chief meteorologist for the CBS affiliate in Buffalo for 31 years and currently writes the weather for the Buffalo News, said he had not seen anything like it in his 38 years living in the area.
“The blizzard of 85 paralyzed the city, but this is the worst,” he wrote in a text message. “That storm had gusts of over 50 magnitude. It had a lot of gusts over 65 and some over 70. It's a monster."
The intensity of the current storm is associated with an exceptionally severe mid-latitude storm, or "bomb cyclone," which intensified dramatically as it swept from Indiana into Ontario and Quebec between Thursday and Friday afternoons. During this time, the storm's pressure dropped by about 35 millibars, well above the weather bomb threshold of 24 millibars in 24 hours. The lower the pressure, the stronger the storm.
The storm spiraling over eastern Canada created a strong wind field that affected much of the eastern United States with strong gusts and very cold air. As strong winds blew over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, intense and very persistent lake-effect snow lanes formed.
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