Buffalo blizzard causes whiteout conditions, travel bans ahead of Christmas weekend

A wintry bomb cyclone that’s sweeping through the nation is bringing whiteout blizzard conditions to Buffalo.

Located on the eastern coast of Lake Erie, Buffalo is under a blizzard warning and is experiencing blinding snowfall and rising waters. Visibility had dropped to zero shortly after noon Friday.

“All my clothing is just a sheet of ice,” said Fox Weather correspondent Max Gorden, as waves crashed around him from Lake Erie in the Buffalo suburb of Hamburg.

Hamburg was evacuated due to rising waters threatening to flood the low-lying area. Waves reaching heights between 14 and 18 feet have been slamming the coastline.

“Incredible – just the power of Mother Nature,” Gorden said.

Wind is also posing a challenge for residents around Buffalo. At Buffalo International Airport, a gust was measured at 72 mph. The Fox Forecast Center said winds could reach 80 to 85 mph later Friday.

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Heavy lake-effect snow is also expected in the area through the weekend, with up to 4 feet predicted to fall in some parts of western New York by Christmas Day.

Combined with the strong winds, however, the snow is creating whiteout conditions. These conditions have created dangerous driving conditions, leading to a travel ban being put in place for portions of the region.

Because of the hazardous weather conditions, the Buffalo Airport Airfield closed on Friday afternoon and canceled all evening flights.