Freeway in Buffalo. Snow could fall at the rate of 3-5" per hour with the U.S. 24-hour snow record reportedly under threat.

Overall squall/storm total in favoured locations could hit 70".

Current U.S 24-hour record is 63" in Georgetown Colorado back in 1913.

I saw this on Facebook 

Photo was taken in Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, NY.

Over 60 inches of snow has fallen in Western New York in the last 24 hours with more to come as it is still snowing. Seen here is the doors on a home giving out and the snow pouring in. National Guard has been deployed to the area to assist. Travel bans are in effect. Driving for any reason is prohibited.

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/tristateweather?fref=photo

The following quote from Accuweather illustrates just how localised snow squalls really are.

"An impressive 5-foot snowfall total has been measured in Lancaster, New York, a suburb of Buffalo as of Tuesday night with similar amounts across the Southtowns. However, due to the nature of these snow bands, some areas can get pummeled, while others escape the intense snow. For instance, the Buffalo airport has only received 3.9 inches of snow while a few miles to the south, several feet fell."

Whats quite odd here, is he great lakes still had ice in them well into summer, due to the effects of last winters cold.  Then bam - straight back into the freezer.

This morning the lake effect snow band has been inching further north, so now Buffalo Airport and downtown Buffalo are getting the intense snow; right in the morning rush. You can see the effect of this on Google traffic at the moment; north of the city is flowing freely; the area around the city and the airport are gridlocked, and to the south of the city nothing is moving at all due to the biblical amounts of snow already there and the travel ban that has been imposed.

Interstate 90 has been closed all the way from Rochester, about 50 miles east of Buffalo.

Indeed, and they're set for another round of this tomorrow.

I think it safe to say the 24-hour total accumulation record of 63" has now gone. The only outstanding question is where?

Another, looks like they are just waiting for it to ease if they can move at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ASgCEXW4g

Interactive snow totals map here for the Buffalo area:

http://weather.buffalonews.com/interactive-map-storm-snow-totals/

Great posts - thanks guys!

It's been quite an event. The combination of the depth of cold for so early in the season combined with the still relatively warm lakes has resulted in some incredible snowfall totals - even by lake-effect standards.

I think the 24 hour snowfall record currently belongs to Silver Lake, Colorado, with 76 inches, spanning April 14-15, 1921 (http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/four-dead-as-snow-buries-buffa/37606293)

-8C in parts of Florida this morning! 

http://classic.wunderground.com/history/airport/KCEW/2014/11/19/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

It's strange that. I came up with a 24-hour snow total of 63", also in Colorado. I must have misread it all. Too much alcohol methinks.

Looks like more snow for Buffalo in the next day or so.

Apparently, the mound on the right is an SUV.

Incredible scenes 

http://time.com/3593607/buffalo-snowstorm/

Yep, this is from Wednesday 10PM local time to Friday 7PM local time

From the DM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2838901/Second-polar-plunge-bring-record-November-chills-South.html

Snowfall totals as of 3.09PM UK time.

http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=buf&product=PNS&issuedby=BUF&format=ci&version=1

CBS news on the snow & cold weather

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/relentless-storm-pummeling-parts-of-upstate-ny/

Quite incredible scenes do we know if they are record amounts of snow

Poor reporting by the UK media in general.

Several outlets, including the BBC here, reporting that all 50 states dropped below freezing at one point. Really? Hawaii? As far as I can see Hawaii is up in the 70s (F) or higher. Not sure about the top of Mauna Loa, though. Surely they mean the 48 contiguous states (plus Alaska though that's not a shock), but for California I think they must be referring to temperatures on top of the Sierra.

Meanwhile, the video shows the timelapse of the lake effect snow in Buffalo. The narrator claims it is Lake Michigan, when in fact it is Lake Erie.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30110807

[quote=Darren S;645138]

Poor reporting by the UK media in general.

Several outlets, including the BBC here, reporting that all 50 states dropped below freezing at one point. Really? Hawaii? As far as I can see Hawaii is up in the 70s (F) or higher. Not sure about the top of Mauna Loa, though. Surely they mean the 48 contiguous states (plus Alaska though that's not a shock), but for California I think they must be referring to temperatures on top of the Sierra.

Meanwhile, the video shows the timelapse of the lake effect snow in Buffalo. The narrator claims it is Lake Michigan, when in fact it is Lake Erie.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30110807

All us stations also state 50 states saw freezing temps. Though the lack of coverage was shocking. 

Some incredible pictures here: http://globalnews.ca/news/1680475/in-photos-incredible-images-as-historic-snowstorm-blankets-upstate-new-york/ (Scroll down)

Such as:

Okay, so the top of Mauna Loa (as I suggested) is quite a long way up! I stand corrected. That gives a somewhat misleading view, though...

http://www.ibtimes.com/even-hawaii-had-freezing-temperatures-below-32-degrees-tuesday-1726292