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Lake-effect snow and bitter cold grip New York

Amtrak shut down passenger train service in upstate New York west of Albany and numerous schools closed on Monday as blustery winds blew lake-effect snow into whiteouts and plunged wind chill temperatures well below zero.

Lake-effect snow and frigid winds created problems throughout the day on Sunday south of Buffalo and across the state in the Watertown area. Some towns south of Buffalo reported two feet of snow by Sunday evening. In northern New York, 24 inches of snow was measured in Watertown.

Rochester school officials canceled classes Monday for 34,000 students because of near-zero temperatures and below zero wind chills. The blustery winds were making things uncomfortable across New York: In Massena, near the Canadian border, 15 mph winds made it feel minus 25 while in Binghamton, near the Pennsylvania state line to the south, it felt like 24 below zero. New York City was registering wind chills of minus 8 to minus 11 Monday morning.

Overnight, the temperature dropped to minus 5 in Watertown, on Lake Ontario, and Wellsville, southeast of Buffalo. In Saranac Lake, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, it was minus 5 at 8 a.m. with a wind that made it feel like 18 below zero.

The Thruway was shut down in both directions for 38 miles in western New York from Lackawanna to Dunkirk Sunday afternoon because visibility was close to zero and trucks were jackknifing, said senior dispatcher George Lindell. It was reopened later Sunday, only to be closed again around midnight. The highway was reopened around 3 a.m. Monday. No major accidents were reported.

Amtrak announced Sunday evening that Empire Service trains would not run between Niagara Falls and Albany on Monday, but bus service would be arranged. Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited service between Chicago and Albany also was canceled.

''It's pretty intense,'' said National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Tingley.

A lake-effect snow warning was in effect until Monday morning for central and southern Erie, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. An additional 12 to 18 inches of snow was expected in some areas by early Monday.

The National Weather Service said areas of the Tug Hill region, the snowiest spot in the state, had around 20 inches of snow by Monday morning.

A snow emergency was declared for Jefferson County, and police in Jefferson and Lewis counties advised against unnecessary travel.

The lake-effect snow in the western Adirondacks shifted southward Sunday evening, and the weather service posted a heavy snow warning for southern Herkimer and northern Fulton counties in the southwestern Adirondacks through Tuesday, with a total accumulation of 6 to 12 inches expected.

Lake-effect snow shuts down Interstate

Heavy, blowing snow Sunday shut down a 38-mile stretch of the state Thruway south of Buffalo, cancelled upstate Amtrak service west of Albany, and forced numerous schools to close for Monday as lake-effect snows were expected to continue to bury southwestern and central New York.

Heavy winds were creating whiteout conditions in some areas and cold advisories were posted in western and eastern New York, with wind chill temperatures expected to dip to 20 below into Monday.

Lake-effect snow and frigid winds created problems throughout the day on Sunday south of Buffalo and across the state in the Watertown area. Some towns south of Buffalo reported two to three feet of snow by Sunday evening. In northern New York, 24 inches of snow was measured in Watertown.

The Thruway was shut down because visibility was close to zero and trucks were jackknifing, said senior dispatcher George Lindell. No major accidents were reported, but police and tow truck operators were checking for stranded motorists between Orchard Park and Dunkirk, Lindell said.

Amtrak announced Sunday evening that Empire Service trains would not run between Niagara Falls and Albany on Monday, but bus service would be arranged. Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited service between Chicago and Albany also was cancelled.

"It's pretty intense," said National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Tingley.

A lake-effect snow warning was in effect until Monday morning for central and southern Erie, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. An additional 12 to 18 inches of snow was expected in some areas by early Monday.

The National Weather Service said there was the potential for three to four feet of new snow in the Tug Hill region by Monday morning.

A snow emergency was declared for Jefferson County, and police in Jefferson and Lewis counties advised against unnecessary travel.

The lake-effect snow in the western Adirondacks shifted southward Sunday evening, and the weather service posted a heavy snow warning for southern Herkimer and northern Fulton counties in the southwestern Adirondacks through Tuesday, with a total accumulation of 6 to 12 inches expected.