Bands of heavy lake effect snow could make travel to Highmark Stadium difficult, or even dangerous, when the Buffalo Bills take on the San Francisco 49ers at Highmark Stadium on Sunday evening.
In fact, the game itself might see little snow, but lake effect snow is most likely in the run-up to the 8:20 p.m. start. Orchard Park could see 15 inches or less, but could also see more than 3 feet of snow from Friday through kickoff, according to the State Weather Risk Communication Center. The most likely scenario is 20-30 inches.
Totals will vary by where snow bands form, with small changes leading to different intensity and orientation of those bands.
If you go: Weather will affect travel to Bills game
How you travel to the game will have a significant impact on how bad conditions will be on the drive into Orchard Park.
Fans coming from the north are likely to avoid the heaviest lake effect snow and as a result may not face significant travel disruptions, according to the SWRCC forecast. Snowfall totals are expected to be less than a foot in northern Erie, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, as well as Genesee County.
If you’re approaching from the east, the lake effect snow warnings in Genesee and Wyoming counties expire by 7 p.m. on Sunday. The heaviest snow is confined to the southwest corner of Genesee County, which could see 6 to 12 inches over the course of the warning period. The further south your route takes you, the more likely you’ll run into heavier snow.
Coming from the south may be a different story, with peak snowfall totals expected to top 2 feet in Chautauqua, northwestern Cattaraugus and southern Erie counties. The storms will also be more intense, with snowfall rates exceeding 3 inches per hour in the strongest bands, paired with gusty winds of 20-30 mph.
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Due to the heavy snowfall expected in some areas, AccuWeather predicts some major highways, including Interstate 90 west of Buffalo, could be closed Friday night through Sunday morning. The persistent and isolated snow bands could cause multi-car pileups and leave some motorists stranded.
“Should a traveler become stranded, the situation can quickly escalate to a life-threatening emergency given the conditions,” said Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather chief meteorologist, in a statement.
Orchard Park remains under a lake effect snow warning through 7 p.m. on Dec. 2, with snowfall totals through Monday expected to be 3 to 4 feet in the most hard-hit areas, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. Conditions will make travel “very difficult to impossible” with deep snow on the roads and extremely poor visibility.
Orchard Park weather radar from National Weather Service
NWS Radar
Orchard Park weather forecast for Sunday, Dec. 1
The Weather Service forecast for Orchard Park calls for likely snow showers, mainly before 7 p.m. In the hours before kickoff, temperatures will drop below the freezing mark, with windchill considerably colder than the air temperature in the lower 20s. As the time gets closer to kickoff, the precipitation potential and wind speeds drop.
The AccuWeather forecast calls for flurries to end around 4 p.m. but return in the 7 o’clock hour. The forecast expects stronger winds in the upper teens and gusts as strong as 29 mph, which could move already fallen snow. Heavier snow and more dangerous conditions would be nearby to the south.
Steve Howe reports on weather, climate and the Great Lakes for the Democrat and Chronicle. An RIT graduate, he has covered myriad topics over the years, including public safety, local government, national politics and economic development in New York and Utah.
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