BUFFALO, NY — After a few short bouts with the cold, the "Big Chill" has gripped WNY for almost a week now with some of the coldest air yet to arrive! A surge of Arctic air has sent sub-zero temperatures into the Upper Midwest and carries the cold all he way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Here in WNY, the bitter temperatures have turned a liquid Lake Erie into an icy state in just under a week!
The ice is still relatively thin in most areas, but as it thickens and coverage reaches close to 100% the potential and intensity of Lake snows will become reduced.
If you've ever wondered what Lake Snow looks like... Here's great satellite photo showing snow bands stretching the length of Lake Erie dumping snow on Buffalo during the first weekend in February.
The polar plunge responsible for the numbing cold is not leaving anytime soon and has started a streak of days below 32 degrees that could stretch into the double digits producing the longest such run in 6 years.
The most recent streak lasting more than 10 days occurred in at the end of December into January of 2017-2018 where 13 days stayed sub-freezing.
The lengthiest such streak in the past 10 years took place 6 years ago during February 2015 which extended for 23 days during what has become the coldest month of February in Buffalo history.
With the cold continuing into the final week of the month February 2021 is on track to become one of the coldest February's of the decade.
While some people might not like the cold, others are frolicking in the frigid temperatures. In fact, the cold and snow has been splendid for skiers and sleds! February's frequent snows and consistent cold has produced fluffy snow crystals creating a powdery consistency that makes for ideal conditions for most winter activities... minus snowman making :(
Check on the lake snow or get the latest 7-Day forecast here WKBW.com/Weather
