Buffalo in US was waiting for its usual share of snow.It gets a lot of snow every year. But this year it was different. On Tuesday, all fifty states recorded below freezing temperatures and Winter Storm Knife deposited over five feet of snow out of nowhere in Buffalo, NY. People were stranded, stuck on roads and flights got cancelled.

According to Yahoo Weather, more snow is expected to accumulate in the areas east and southeast of Buffalo, in northern New York state. In fact, they could receive a year’s accumulation of snowfall or even more in just two days. Nothing like this has ever happened. It becomes a historic storm. It is a declared emergency in Buffalo, and people are advised to stay indoors. The national guard joined in to help the New York’s transportation department as they worked tirelessly through the night to rescue stranded people and take them to safer shelters.

Surprisingly, the situation is extreme in Buffalo. Why is the Storm Knife so furious?

Well, there is a phenomenon called “Lake Snow Effect.” Lake effect snow, is a type of thunderstorm, is produced in the winter. When cold winds move across warmer lake( Lake Erie here), picking up water vapor that freezes and gets deposited on the shores. It happens every year, but this time around Lake Erie is warmer that it should be, thus more snow.

Parts of Wisconsin and Michigan are affected but not as bad as Buffalo.

With just a week left for Thanksgiving, hope the storm abates soon so that families can be together.