Heavy snow blankets northwestern Pa., parts of the US during busy holiday travel weekend

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 issued by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro for Erie County, 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 Interstate 90 in Pennsylvania was closed, as were westbound lanes of the New York Thruway heading toward Pennsylvania. At Erie International Airport in Erie, Pa., the National Weather Service reported 22.6 inches of snow had fallen Friday, and more lake-effect snow is expected in the region Sunday through Monday.

Nearly 2 feet of snow also fell in parts of New York, Ohio and Michigan, and 29 inches was recorded in Pennsylvania’s northwestern tip.

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 as people helped one another dig out their cars from the snow.

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

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 or more, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Marquette, Michigan.

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

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

Meanwhile, steady winds that trained snow bands Friday on Gaylord, Michigan, dumped 24.8 inches, 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 was from March 9, 1942.

The snowfall was good news for Treetops Resort, which features 80 acres of ski hill terrain among its 2,000 acres, 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, state police responded to nearly 200 incidents during the 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, officials said.

“This storm doesn’t limit its impact only to Pennsylvania, and we’re working with partners in New York to coordinate our response and our plans to reopen highways as soon as we can,” said Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield.

“We have deployed personnel from PEMA and multiple Commonwealth agencies to work with Erie County Emergency Management to ensure that we have a thorough understanding of the situation and their needs during this storm,” he said.

State officials urged people to stay off the roads throughout the affected area, noting that additional snowfall accumulation is expected. They said motorists should expect to encounter difficult travel conditions and should prepare accordingly before heading out, they said:

• Assume it will take longer to arrive at your destination and plan extra travel time; 
• Have multiple ways to get weather alerts; 
• Pay attention for rapidly changing conditions; 
• Leave extra space between you and other vehicles; and 
• Have food, water, warm clothing or blankets and any specialized items you may need such as medications or baby and pet supplies. 

Motorists can check conditions by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day

Cindi Lash of WESA and AP writers around the country contributed to this report.