Heavy lake effect snow is nothing new for people who live in Oswego County. But when that snow falls in the city of Oswego, things can grind to a halt.
That's what happened Wednesday.
Across the city, residents woke up to find two to three feet of lake effect snow that fell overnight, burying cars and making roads nearly impassable. Wednesday morning, Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow issued a state of emergency for the city, calling for no unnecessary travel and asking drivers to not park their cars on city streets, so DPW crews could clear the roads. Many businesses decided to either open late or just close for the day.
To the north of Oswego, residents continue to dig out after more than four feet of snow fell in some spots of Oswego, Lewis and Jefferson counties this week.
In Redfield, on the Tug Hill Plateau, a record was set for the most snow in Oswego County in a 48 hour period, with more than 62 inches of snow falling from Monday until Wednesday.
While the lake effect snow is winding down, the bitterly cold temperatures will continue through the weekend. Highs around central New York are expected in the single digits to low teens over the next few days.
It will be even colder than that in the Adirondacks, where state officials are warning travelers about the dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills. Highs in the Adirondacks this weekend are expected to range from -5 to 5 degrees, with overnight lows as low as -25. Wind chills will be as low as -40 at times.
