Multiple vehicles involved in Ohio crash as lake-effect snowstorm blasts Great Lakes region

 

The Great Lakes region is being blasted by a significant lake-effect snowstorm that has led to numerous reports of crashes in Ohio and New York as snow continues to pile up with no signs that the winter weather will be letting up anytime soon.

The storm kicked into high gear Monday after cold air plunged into the U.S. from Canada and flowed over the still-unfrozen Great Lakes, leading to this multiday storm.

More than 3.3 million Americans along the eastern shores of lakes Erie and Ontario in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York state have been under Lake-Effect Snow Warnings since the start of the workweek, and they’re expected to continue until at least Wednesday.

The Lake-Effect Snow Warnings include cities such as Cleveland, Erie in Pennsylvania and Jamestown, Syracuse, Oswego and Watertown in New York.

Schools across the region have been closed because of the heavy snow. Earlier this week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged New Yorkers to prepare for this storm.

20+ Vehicle Pileup on I-271 NB near the 77 interchange near Richfield, OH due to snow squalls. More video to come @JimCantore @weatherchannel @RadarOmega #OHwx #LakeEffectSnow LIVE: https://t.co/HhK4soNw3I pic.twitter.com/yub3dqtNUh

— Brandon Copic (@BrandonCopicWx) November 28, 2023

"The most hazardous weather conditions will be in the areas where the lake-effect snow bands form and produce a lot of snow in a short period, which will hamper travel in some places for the next day or so," she said in a statement.

She also urged people to use extra caution on the roads when traveling and to pay attention to the forecast.

How about this! Almost 2 feet of snow in Constableville, NY on the Tug Hill Plateau of northern New York. This area gets slammed with heavy lake effect snow due to small elevation changes that result in "orographic lift" enhancing snowfall! pic.twitter.com/LG6c0CXaTe

— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) November 28, 2023

New York State Police said Tuesday that several commercial vehicles were off the road on Interstate 90 westbound between exits 11 and 12 in Rensselaer County, just southeast of Albany. State police urged drivers to seek an alternate route as a result.

Canada, too, has been affected by the storm. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said on X, formerly Twitter, that they responded to several crashes outside of the Toronto area due to whiteout conditions that led to road closures.

Highway 403 was closed after multiple crashes resulted in serious injuries. They said they responded to reports of a 7-vehicle crash, a 3-vehicle crash and at least four tractor-trailers were jack knifed in the area.

OPP said a 36-year-old man was hospitalized with serious injuries following a crash on Highway 403. 

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