Communities in the Northeast experienced severe weather on Wednesday morning, leading to a fatal crash and potential disruptions to the morning commute.
In the initial significant lake effect snow event of the season, some areas around the Great Lakes and interior Northeast were anticipating up to 40 inches of snow overnight.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo, New York, issued warnings of sharply reduced visibility during the peak travel period on Wednesday morning, with an anticipated snowfall rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. Buffalo police issued a winter weather advisory starting from 4 a.m., urging motorists to exercise caution.
According to an early Wednesday forecast from the NWS, the areas most heavily impacted were expected to be located south and southeast of Lake Erie before the snow shifted north.
Tragedy struck in Killington, Vermont, where a bus collided with another vehicle on Tuesday afternoon, resulting in the death of one driver. The deceased, Mark J. Candon, 71, from Rutland, Vermont, was pronounced dead at the scene, as reported by the police.
The bus driver, 82-year-old Gary E. Gilmore from North Clarendon, and an unnamed female passenger sustained minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital.
Pennsylvania also witnessed heavy snowfall, with footage from Greene Township late Tuesday revealing a 15.5-inch accumulation.
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The phenomenon known as lake effect occurs when cold air passes over the relatively warm and ice-free Great Lakes, generating clouds that eventually result in downstream snowfall.