Winter Weather Brings Dangerous Conditions and Disrupts Travel in New York

Amid severe winter weather across the United States, dangerous snowy and windy conditions are expected to worsen and impact travel in New York.

As an Arctic front is sweeping across the country, bringing heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions, along with dangerous wind chills, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter storm warnings for parts of 22 states impacting millions of people. A wind chill warning affecting 29 million and a wind chill advisory for another 64 million is also in place, according to the agency. Meteorologists predict wind, freezing rain and heavy snow to fall over the mid-South through Tuesday and "dangerously cold" temperatures from the Pacific Northwest to the Rust Belt.

"The Arctic air in place will also set the stage for significant wintry precipitation to develop over the Mid-South later today with a mess of snow, sleet, and freezing rain all expected," the NWS said.

Newsweek has reached out to National Weather Service via email for comment.

As winter conditions continue to worsen in various parts of the country, those traveling have already seen a disruption.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Sunday a full travel ban for most of Erie County in western New York due to "potentially life-threatening blizzard-like conditions" in the area.

"My top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, and this winter storm continues to pose a life and safety risk," the governor said. "While there are some areas that are no longer experiencing whiteout conditions, much of Erie County remains unsafe for motorists."

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card game originally scheduled for Sunday in Orchard Park was postponed to Monday in an effort to prioritize public safety amid the severe winter weather, Hochul said Saturday afternoon.

Those blizzard-like conditions can be seen across X, formerly Twitter.

AccuWeather posted a video on Sunday of the snowy conditions in Erie County, while also noting the travel ban Hochul announced.

News 4 Buffalo, a local station, shared a video on Saturday showing the low visibility of driving conditions, warning drivers of the heavy snow and high wind.

Hope Winter, a reporter at News 4 Buffalo, also took to X on Sunday to show how fast the winter conditions can change when it comes to lake effect snow.

According to tracking site FlightAware, more than 5,000 flights within, into or out of the country have been postponed, more than 2,000 flights canceled and 19,000 delays, as of Sunday. The most affected airports continue to be those across the northern U.S. such as Denver, Chicago, and Buffalo.

In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took to X on Saturday to warn travelers that the winter storms throughout the country will continue to cause cancellations and delays.

This is only the latest winter storm the U.S. has faced after several different storm fronts impacted several states earlier this month and last month.

Meanwhile in Oregon on Saturday, strong winds from winter storm conditions caused two people to die in separate incidents after trees fell on a home in Lake Oswego and on an RV in southeast Portland. Local officials in Lake Oswego and Portland declared a state of emergency due to the strong winds, warning residents to stay indoors and off the roads until the weather clears.