Western New York is about to be buried in six feet of snow, and the National Weather Service has issued an official lake effect snow warning for several major counties, including Genesee, Erie, and Wyoming. Let's hope everyone keeps their families and their fur babies warm and dry!
A lake effect snow occurs when a cold front moves over a larger body of warmer water, creating unstable atmospheric temperatures as clouds form, suck in water and then move downwind.
Crazy, huh? It's not even Thanksgiving or winter yet, and already the city of Buffalo has been covered in over three feet of snow since the ferocious snowstorm began on Tuesday morning. Record-low temperatures has engulfed the region, motorists have been trapped, and some people have even been injured and killed.
Even if you don't live in Western New York or anywhere northern and next to a gigantic lake (godspeed this winter, Wisconsin and Michigan), it's important to be prepared for any "Snowpocalypse" this coming winter, and to know how to keep yourself, your home, and your family safe and secure!
Please SHARE these important tips on keeping you and your family (and pets, of course) safe & warm this winter!
Buffalo Bills? More like Buffalo CHILLS.
I can't tell if I'm looking at a buried car or just a massive snow drift. It honestly could be EITHER.
Heather Ly from WGRZ shared her cuties standing beside a snowdrift in Alden, NY
At first glance, this Buffalo home looks cozy...then you realize OH WAIT it's being swallowed by snow!!
I mean...what's the point, at a certain point?
Even Governor Cuomo got in on the twitter action in regards to the monumental snowstorm. Check out his tweet:
Fancy a drive? I think not.
How can you be prepared when there's snow taller than your pup - like this drift in Upstate New York? Here are a few easy steps:
1. Keeping your pets warm and safe is of utmost importance!
Despite their fur coats, dogs are prone to the cold just as much as we are, and can experience hypothermia and frostbite.
Keep your animals inside as much as possible during a snowstorm, and make sure that their access to food and water is not blocked by snow or ice. If necessary, place a wee-wee pad on the floor so that they can relieve themselves without having to step out into the cold.
2. Keep your dogs' paws safe from ice and salt with waterproof dog booties.
Click here to learn how you can make your own in a pinch!
3. Before a winter storm hits, make sure you are well-prepared.
Ensure that your household has adequate warm clothing and blankets, plenty of dry, seasoned wood if you own a fireplace and the heat goes out, and rock salt or a similar and environmentally safe ice melter.
4. You'll also need snow shovels and snow removal equipment to get down your driveway!
5. Make sure your pantry is stockpiled with plenty of non-perishable food.
In case you lose power and do not have access to the roads, you'll want you and your family to have plenty to eat.
6. Cover all bare floors with rugs or blankets, as they can get very cold for your bare feet AND your fur babies' paws!
7. Make sure to have your radiators cleaned so that they can operate at full efficiency.
8. Fix any leaks in your roof or rain gutters, and have your pipes checked to ensure that they won't freeze or burst (hey, better safe than sorry!)
9. Prepare a winter emergency kit that contains necessary items like dry snack food, blankets, bottled water, matches and small candles, a first aid kit, and a flashlight with extra batteries.
Have one in your car if you plan on driving during inclement weather; Car kits should include booster cables, emergency flares, a cell phone adapter for the lighter in your car, a shovel, extra hats, a chain and rope, extra hats, socks, and mittens, and road salt, sand, or cat litter.
Please SHARE these important tips for surviving a winter storm with everyone you know!!
