https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN2hqN2C84o
The time has come in the season, where we steer away from tornadoes and supercells and transition to what most chasers dread. Cold, snow, and Winter. However, I am guy who likes every aspect of weather nature has to throw at me. This journey would start out on Monday, November 17th a date that has been good to me in the past. A year ago I documented an EF2 tornado that hit Lebanon, Indiana and this year it looked like I was about to embark on my first incredible snow storm chase.
There was still many questions that I needed answers to, before I decided to pull the plug on making the 5 hour drive up to Buffalo, New York. Would the snow event pan out as extreme as models were predicting? Would I be getting in over my head and get stuck for potentially a week while roads cleared? Would there be a decent enough profit to be made back since I am saving for a move to Oklahoma? Earlier that Monday morning, I was documenting a minor snow event (but was the first accumulating snow of the season for Ohio) when I received a couple of messages on Facebook asking if I was going to Buffalo. Confused, I brushed it off and kind of mumbled to myself "why would I drive all the way to Buffalo, New York for a foot of lake effect snow?"
I woke up around 8am after being out all night documenting our snow event, and my curiosity got the best of me. So I decided to take a look at the models and see what kind of picture they were painting that was now getting news media's attention for Buffalo. My jaw almost hit the floor when I looked at the snowfall amounts forecasted by the RPM for New York. Thinking it was over done, I went over to the National Weather Service website and read the "Lake Effect Snow Warning" that they had issued. They mentioned there could be upwards of 3ft of snow and blizzard conditions. The NWS in Buffalo also issued a special statement mentioning the word "Historic" which immediately grabbed my attention.
I went into work that day, with this snow event still on my mind. I asked my chase partner Stephen Jones if he thought it'd be worth the drive and time. After a bit of discussion I decided to take on the challenge and head to Buffalo when I got off of work. As I inched my way closer with a fellow chaser Brandon. My mind was full of different emotions. Was I setting myself up for another 2014 bust? Am I getting in over my head if this really does pan out? What am I about to witness? All of those questions were about to be answered as we reached that "Welcome to New York" sign and snow began to fall at a slow but steady pace.
We approached a toll gate and was greeted by the employee and he asked "How far do y'all plan on driving?" I knew where this was leading to and we replied with "Buffalo". He then explained that the highway was shutdown due to white out conditions at Dunkirk. Hoping he was wrong, and that we could still get through, we continued our way Northeast. Once getting within 2 miles of Dunkirk, New York we saw a sign that said "highway closed, exits 59-55". We were forced off the highway, and asked the next toll booth employer where our best route was to Buffalo. I had driven all this way, and I was not going back empty handed. We found a highway 20 that ran parallel to highway 90. I was a bit confused as to why they would shut down a main interstate and detour everyone onto a state highway that was less treated. But, me wondering wasn't going to do a bit of good.
We continued to creep our way on highway 20 with conditions rapidly going down hill at an alarming rate. It seemed the further we drove, the higher the number of cars in ditches went up. We finally found ourselves in the heaviest part of the snow event and like a flip of a switch it went from bad road conditions, to pure chaos!
Instantly our view went down to less then 20 yards, and the first thing we came up on was an intersection where I counted a total of 5 cars stuck in the intersection itself, with another 5-6 cars stuck at the gas station, where snow had accumulated so fast there was no chance of plowing it. I walked up to a police officer and asked if we were able to get through. He alerted me that highway 179 was shut down but the current road we were on was still open. I'll never forget hearing the voices of the people stuck "this is insane!" this is ridicules!" "Iv'e never seen anything like this before!". Hearing people from Buffalo, a city used to having brutal Winters say this, really put the whole event into perspective. After weaving in and out of stuck cars with no way for us of helping them. We got about another mile up the road and traffic was stopped at a stand still. I walked up the road and Brandon said after I got within 100 feet of the vehicle he had lost sight of me, which I believe because I could no longer see the SUV. I got a view of 2 semis that appeared to had ran into each other, but beyond that I could see nothing because of how heavy the snow was coming down. I could not believe what I was witnessing. I have never been so excited and have never had my adrenaline flow so much during a Winter storm chase. I noticed too, it was only 4am and snow totals were nearing the 2ft mark. Well over the amount forecasted by models at the time. I wondered if models had under played the event and we were in for something bigger. My thoughts were exactly right. But we'll get to that later.
After we had turned around to find a different road due to the two semis that were blocking highway 62, we found ourselves driving down a couple residential streets to get back on to highway 62 South to try and find other roads. We nearly avoided getting stuck going down Arthur and Salisbury Avenue where there was already 2-3 feet (yes you read that right.) We turned back South onto 62 with our tail tucked between our legs and found a gas station out of the heaviest snow band to make a game plan. I began to think I was in a little over my head with this one, I have documented many Winter storms. But nothing like this. I have never had reduced visibility for so long in my life. It was like driving in a horror scene in a movie. Once you would get close to an object, it would appear out of thin air. There were several times right away we avoided colliding with stuck vehicles, that got trapped pulling out of their driveway or parking lot. There was also something very odd that kept appearing. People! Walking down the middle of the street. I asked myself "Why on earth are people walking down the road in these kind of conditions?!" I then realized these were people who were abandoning their vehicles and walking to wherever they needed to go.
We decided that we would again make our way up into the heaviest, still persistent snow band that was sitting over Lackawanna by finding another East option and approaching from the South that way. I thought we had out smarted the snow, as we finally made it into Lackawanna on highway 4. But, boy was I wrong. We had just gotten a taste of the chaos that was unfolding just South of Buffalo. We came across a familiar site yet again. A line of stopped traffic with their hazards on. So I yet again, walked to the front of the traffic to assess the situation. With snowfall rates like this, there was simply no time for us to wait for crews to clear traffic (if that were to ever happen) or we risk getting stuck, possible for days. After I short walk, I see what stunned me. A fire truck (yes you read that right) a fire truck stuck in the snow, along with two other snow plows and a wrecker. This traffic was not going anywhere, anytime soon.
Yet again, we found ourselves turning around and finding an alternate route to actually park, get out and document the snowstorm safely. We know found ourselves on Ridge Road in downtown Lackawanna. This is where it was all about to go down. As we made our way down snow was coming down so heavily, and with the sun coming out from the sunrise it was getting nearly impossible to see. I'd estimate visibility at about 20 yards. Snow cleared and a car stuck blocking the whole road appeared. Slamming on our breaks hoping to stop we slid to the left barely avoiding colliding with the vehicle. Two other cars coming at us also slammed on their brakes, but due to them not having 4x4 they got stuck, boxing our way out of that road. We then turned around and back tracked up the road we had just came down, only to find that three more cars had gotten stuck in the 3 minutes we had been gone. I thought this is where we were going to ride out the storm in the car. Which thankfully I came prepared for, with water, bags of food, blankets, and warm clothes.
After struggling for about 15 minutes to get the car moved, at least enough for the jeep to get around it and open up on lane of the road we were finally successful. Unfortunately, the ladies car who we tried to help up the hill was proven to be impossible. We squeezed by the stuck car, took a left to make an attempt at finding a hotel, and what happens? Yet AGAIN we are at another intersection with a snow plow, moving truck, and 5 cars all trapped. The snow plow was blocking the road we were going to use, so we tried to pass the van on the left. For the first time this whole chase, we got stuck. Back and forth and we rocked the Expedition when all of a sudden I hear "Hey a.s hole!". Confused, I look over to see the driver of the stuck mini van yelling at me that we had almost hit his vehicle. Which was impossible because Brandon had stopped right as I looked back to hear the man yelling at me, and there was still a foot or two between our vehicles. I explains we were trying to get unstuck and out of here. The angry man then says "No sh.t, aren't we all!". At this point, i'm getting aggravated because there was no need to be using such language. He then shouts "Put the camera away and drive!". I then exchange a few words and say "I'm not the one driving, and i'm here to do my job". At that time, we freed ourselves and made a left onto 137.
As we had done a couple times before, the snow cleared just yards before there was a total of 16 cars trapped on this section of road. Once again, hitting the brakes and sliding to a stop before colliding with one of the vehicles. There was even a city bus that had gotten stuck coming off one of the side streets. What do we do at this point? Every road we needed to escape the heaviest snow band was now blocked. We had no other options at this point but to turn around and wait at the intersection until one of the roads cleared. Here is the kicker. In a twist of events the gentlemen that exchanged a few words with me said "Hey buddy, mind helping me out?". Being the good people we are, we agreed to help. But in that situation, with that much snow, in a front wheel drive mini van. They would just get stuck again. But we at least got them out of the middle of the intersection, thanks to a bulldozer that gave us some salt out of the truck.
Eventually, the snow plow navigated its way out of the snow and we were able to continue the drive. We attempted to find our way back to the gas station we touched basis at earlier in Hamburg. But were stopped by a snowplow attempting to clear out an intersection. We made a left onto Martin Road, but for some reason there was a truck blocking the road. So, we backed up into the intersection and partially onto a side road. When all of a sudden, the snow plow that was clearing the area got stuck right in front of us, and a truck drove right into a snowdrift boxing us in. A backhoe came in, to save the day. Finally, we made our way back to the gas station to refuel and use the facilities. Our chase was about to take a turn, and soon it would be coming to an end. After leaving the gas station, we made a left onto highway 20 and made another left onto 162. Conditions were absolutely blinding at this point and could no longer see further then 5 yards ahead of us. Then it happened. We drove into a six foot snow drift and were stuck, and no amount of rocking the vehicle was getting us out. Again, coming prepared is always a must when chasing Winter storms. We grabbed two snow shovels out of the back, and began digging ourselves out of the heavy, thick, wet snow with 30mph winds gusting at us.
After an hour (which seemed like an eternity) we dug ourselves out enough to escape the road we were on, and at this point we decided enough was enough and bailed out of the snow squall. But it was not an easy escape. Every main highway had been shutdown (one of which we saw had hundreds of cars trapped). Conditions were so bad at this point, that I had to lean out the window and call out what side of the road we were on and when we were getting to close to the snow embankment. Pulling off under an overpass as we were greated to our final highway out of the city being closed. I as the navigator was just about out of options. A truck pulled up and asked "You guys alright? Any car problems?". I then explained that we were trying to find a way out of there and were considering driving about 40 miles South onto the other main highway across New York, highway 86. The guy said that was our best bet, and gave us the best directions to get there, on the few roads that were left open.
Finally, we were out of the snow band, and just like a light switch we could see again, blue skies appeared and the sun was shining brightly and snow amounts were less then 5 inches. You would never know that a historic snowstorm was pummeling areas of Buffalo. We left just in time, via social media post we got word that the NWS had upped their snowfall totals to 70+ inches of snow for Lackawanna! I was astounded, as these snowfall totals with one event are almost unheard of. Also, as we left a travel ban was issued and the rest of the roads were shut down. People that were out, were at risk of being ticketed. There was one last hurdle we had to get over, before we were home free. Was highway 90 open at Erie, Pennsylvania? This is where 86 dead ended into. As I approached I didn't see any signs warning me of a highway closure. Sure enough, the highway was open and made our way home.
Conclusion:
This was the most incredible snowstorm that I have ever witnessed. I'm very glad I came as prepared as I was. Because it all came in handy. This would be my second historic event documented in 2014, with the first being the twin EF4 tornadoes that tore across Northeast, Nebraska. Being able to witness extreme weather and historic events like this are what keep my addiction for weather at a peak. Being a part of history and saying "I was there" is something truly remarkable. I also managed to get my footage featured on national news and did a local interview with WSYX 6 Columbus, Ohio!
After we had turned around to find a different road due to the two semis that were blocking highway 62, we found ourselves driving down a couple residential streets to get back on to highway 62 South to try and find other roads. We nearly avoided getting stuck going down Arthur and Salisbury Avenue where there was already 2-3 feet (yes you read that right.) We turned back South onto 62 with our tail tucked between our legs and found a gas station out of the heaviest snow band to make a game plan. I began to think I was in a little over my head with this one, I have documented many Winter storms. But nothing like this. I have never had reduced visibility for so long in my life. It was like driving in a horror scene in a movie. Once you would get close to an object, it would appear out of thin air. There were several times right away we avoided colliding with stuck vehicles, that got trapped pulling out of their driveway or parking lot. There was also something very odd that kept appearing. People! Walking down the middle of the street. I asked myself "Why on earth are people walking down the road in these kind of conditions?!" I then realized these were people who were abandoning their vehicles and walking to wherever they needed to go.
We decided that we would again make our way up into the heaviest, still persistent snow band that was sitting over Lackawanna by finding another East option and approaching from the South that way. I thought we had out smarted the snow, as we finally made it into Lackawanna on highway 4. But, boy was I wrong. We had just gotten a taste of the chaos that was unfolding just South of Buffalo. We came across a familiar site yet again. A line of stopped traffic with their hazards on. So I yet again, walked to the front of the traffic to assess the situation. With snowfall rates like this, there was simply no time for us to wait for crews to clear traffic (if that were to ever happen) or we risk getting stuck, possible for days. After I short walk, I see what stunned me. A fire truck (yes you read that right) a fire truck stuck in the snow, along with two other snow plows and a wrecker. This traffic was not going anywhere, anytime soon.
Yet again, we found ourselves turning around and finding an alternate route to actually park, get out and document the snowstorm safely. We know found ourselves on Ridge Road in downtown Lackawanna. This is where it was all about to go down. As we made our way down snow was coming down so heavily, and with the sun coming out from the sunrise it was getting nearly impossible to see. I'd estimate visibility at about 20 yards. Snow cleared and a car stuck blocking the whole road appeared. Slamming on our breaks hoping to stop we slid to the left barely avoiding colliding with the vehicle. Two other cars coming at us also slammed on their brakes, but due to them not having 4x4 they got stuck, boxing our way out of that road. We then turned around and back tracked up the road we had just came down, only to find that three more cars had gotten stuck in the 3 minutes we had been gone. I thought this is where we were going to ride out the storm in the car. Which thankfully I came prepared for, with water, bags of food, blankets, and warm clothes.
After struggling for about 15 minutes to get the car moved, at least enough for the jeep to get around it and open up on lane of the road we were finally successful. Unfortunately, the ladies car who we tried to help up the hill was proven to be impossible. We squeezed by the stuck car, took a left to make an attempt at finding a hotel, and what happens? Yet AGAIN we are at another intersection with a snow plow, moving truck, and 5 cars all trapped. The snow plow was blocking the road we were going to use, so we tried to pass the van on the left. For the first time this whole chase, we got stuck. Back and forth and we rocked the Expedition when all of a sudden I hear "Hey a.s hole!". Confused, I look over to see the driver of the stuck mini van yelling at me that we had almost hit his vehicle. Which was impossible because Brandon had stopped right as I looked back to hear the man yelling at me, and there was still a foot or two between our vehicles. I explains we were trying to get unstuck and out of here. The angry man then says "No sh.t, aren't we all!". At this point, i'm getting aggravated because there was no need to be using such language. He then shouts "Put the camera away and drive!". I then exchange a few words and say "I'm not the one driving, and i'm here to do my job". At that time, we freed ourselves and made a left onto 137.
As we had done a couple times before, the snow cleared just yards before there was a total of 16 cars trapped on this section of road. Once again, hitting the brakes and sliding to a stop before colliding with one of the vehicles. There was even a city bus that had gotten stuck coming off one of the side streets. What do we do at this point? Every road we needed to escape the heaviest snow band was now blocked. We had no other options at this point but to turn around and wait at the intersection until one of the roads cleared. Here is the kicker. In a twist of events the gentlemen that exchanged a few words with me said "Hey buddy, mind helping me out?". Being the good people we are, we agreed to help. But in that situation, with that much snow, in a front wheel drive mini van. They would just get stuck again. But we at least got them out of the middle of the intersection, thanks to a bulldozer that gave us some salt out of the truck.
Eventually, the snow plow navigated its way out of the snow and we were able to continue the drive. We attempted to find our way back to the gas station we touched basis at earlier in Hamburg. But were stopped by a snowplow attempting to clear out an intersection. We made a left onto Martin Road, but for some reason there was a truck blocking the road. So, we backed up into the intersection and partially onto a side road. When all of a sudden, the snow plow that was clearing the area got stuck right in front of us, and a truck drove right into a snowdrift boxing us in. A backhoe came in, to save the day. Finally, we made our way back to the gas station to refuel and use the facilities. Our chase was about to take a turn, and soon it would be coming to an end. After leaving the gas station, we made a left onto highway 20 and made another left onto 162. Conditions were absolutely blinding at this point and could no longer see further then 5 yards ahead of us. Then it happened. We drove into a six foot snow drift and were stuck, and no amount of rocking the vehicle was getting us out. Again, coming prepared is always a must when chasing Winter storms. We grabbed two snow shovels out of the back, and began digging ourselves out of the heavy, thick, wet snow with 30mph winds gusting at us.
After an hour (which seemed like an eternity) we dug ourselves out enough to escape the road we were on, and at this point we decided enough was enough and bailed out of the snow squall. But it was not an easy escape. Every main highway had been shutdown (one of which we saw had hundreds of cars trapped). Conditions were so bad at this point, that I had to lean out the window and call out what side of the road we were on and when we were getting to close to the snow embankment. Pulling off under an overpass as we were greated to our final highway out of the city being closed. I as the navigator was just about out of options. A truck pulled up and asked "You guys alright? Any car problems?". I then explained that we were trying to find a way out of there and were considering driving about 40 miles South onto the other main highway across New York, highway 86. The guy said that was our best bet, and gave us the best directions to get there, on the few roads that were left open.
Finally, we were out of the snow band, and just like a light switch we could see again, blue skies appeared and the sun was shining brightly and snow amounts were less then 5 inches. You would never know that a historic snowstorm was pummeling areas of Buffalo. We left just in time, via social media post we got word that the NWS had upped their snowfall totals to 70+ inches of snow for Lackawanna! I was astounded, as these snowfall totals with one event are almost unheard of. Also, as we left a travel ban was issued and the rest of the roads were shut down. People that were out, were at risk of being ticketed. There was one last hurdle we had to get over, before we were home free. Was highway 90 open at Erie, Pennsylvania? This is where 86 dead ended into. As I approached I didn't see any signs warning me of a highway closure. Sure enough, the highway was open and made our way home.
Conclusion:
This was the most incredible snowstorm that I have ever witnessed. I'm very glad I came as prepared as I was. Because it all came in handy. This would be my second historic event documented in 2014, with the first being the twin EF4 tornadoes that tore across Northeast, Nebraska. Being able to witness extreme weather and historic events like this are what keep my addiction for weather at a peak. Being a part of history and saying "I was there" is something truly remarkable. I also managed to get my footage featured on national news and did a local interview with WSYX 6 Columbus, Ohio!
