Heavy snow blankets parts of the US during busy holiday travel weekend

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The first big snowfall of the season blanketed towns along Lake Erie on Saturday in the middle of the hectic holiday travel and shopping weekend, and numbing cold and heavy snow were forecast to persist into next week and cause hazards in the Great Lakes, Plains and Midwest regions.

The heavy snow led to a state of emergency declaration in parts of New York and a disaster declaration in Pennsylvania, with officials warning of dangerous conditions for Thanksgiving travelers trying to return home.

''Travel will be extremely difficult and hazardous this weekend, especially in areas where multiple feet of snow may accumulate very quickly,'' the National Weather Service said.

Part of I-90 in Pennsylvania was closed, as were westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania. Nearly 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of New York, Ohio and Michigan, and 29 inches (73 centimeters) was recorded in Pennsylvania's northwestern tip.

The city of Erie, Pennsylvania, said travel was being limited to emergency responders and essential employees and cases of medical emergency until further notice due. The snow and slippery conditions resulted in vehicles getting stuck and blocking intersections and streets, officials said, and people were urged to shelter in place and allow crews to clear neighborhoods during a lull in the storm.

With roads in some parts impassable in northwestern Pennsylvania, scores of people took refuge overnight in the lobby and hallways of a fully booked Holiday Inn near I-90. Hotel staffer Jeremiah Weatherley said dozens of people rolled in as the snow piled up, and workers opened the conference room and gave them blankets to sleep on the floor.

''It was hard to manage, but we had no choice,'' he said. ''They just showed up, and we don't want to turn people away.''

Weatherley was handing out bagels, juice and cereal Saturday morning as people helped one another dig out their cars from the snow.

''Everyone helped each other,'' he said. ''It was pretty cool.''

In Buffalo, officials with the NFL's Bills asked people to sign up to shovel at the stadium this season, including the expected heavy snowfall ahead of Sunday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers. The team said it would pay $20 per hour and provide food and hot drinks.

This week's blast of Arctic air also brought bitter temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average to the Northern Plains, the weather service said, prompting cold advisories for parts of North Dakota.

Frigid air was expected to move over the eastern third of the U.S. by Monday, with temperatures about 10 degrees below average.

Parts of Michigan were battered by lake-effect snow, which happens when warm, moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead. Bands of snow that have been rolling off Lake Superior for the past three days buried parts of the Upper Peninsula under 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's office in Marquette, Michigan.

Twenty-seven inches (69 centimeters) of snow was on the ground just northeast of Ironwood, in the Upper Peninsula's western reaches, she said. Another 2 feet (61 centimeters) fell in Munising, in the eastern part of the peninsula.

Chapman said continued lake-effect snow could add more than a foot (30.5 centimeters) over the eastern Upper Peninsula through Monday morning, with 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) or higher to to the west.

Meanwhile steady winds that trained snow bands Friday on Gaylord, Michigan, dumped 24.8 inches (63 centimeters), setting a new single-day record for the city, which sits in a region dotted by ski resorts, said Keith Berger, a meteorologist with the weather service's Gaylord office. The previous record of 17.0 inches (43 centimeters) was from March 9, 1942.

The snowfall was good news for Treetops Resort, which features 80 acres (32 hectares) of ski hill terrain among its 2,000 acres (809 hectares), said Doug Hoeh, the resort's director of recreation. It boosted the base that snowmaking machines will be adding to in the coming days before the resort opens for the season next weekend.

''Obviously when you get that much snowfall, it's great for the snow hills, but it's bad for the parking lots, so we're kind of digging out,'' Hoeh said. "But we're close to being ready to pull the trigger on skiing, and the natural snowfall definitely helps.''

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a proclamation of disaster emergency and said parts of Erie County in the state's northwest had already received nearly 2 feet (1 meter) of snow with more expected through Monday night.

State Police responded to nearly 200 incidents during the 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, officials said.

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Izaguirre reported from Lindenhurst, New York, and Callahan from Indianapolis. AP writers around the country contributed.