The winter season’s first big snowfall has just hit parts of New York and the snow is measuring in feet, not inches.

Three feet of lake-effect snow blanketed the Buffalo area Tuesday, forcing the closure of a 132-mile stretch of the state Thruway, The Associated Press reports. The snow, blown by strong winds, stopped pedestrians in their tracks and compelled motorists to abandon vehicles.

Weather Service meteorologist Tony Ansuini said that the storm was dumping 3 to 4 inches of snow per hour.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz declared a state of emergency and issued driving bans for the southern section of Buffalo and more than a dozen suburbs.

"There are some significant main arterials in the community that are basically parking lots," he said.

The Thruway Authority announced white-out conditions that were caused by wind gusts of more than 30 mph which forced the closure of Interstate 90 in both directions from the Rochester area to Ripley, which is on the Pennsylvania border 60 miles southwest of Buffalo.

State troopers were using all-terrain vehicles to deliver blankets and other emergency supplies to motorists stranded on the Thruway overnight, according to state police Capt. Ed Kennedy.

"Other than wishing they weren't stuck in traffic, they're warm and safe in their vehicles," said Kennedy.

Rescue crews were understandably caught in a scramble. According the Buffalo News, fire crews were having trouble getting equipment out of firehouses.

The Buffalo Fire Department said an ambulance and fire truck were having a hard time reaching a man who was experiencing difficulty breathing on Arbour Lane.

Forecasters are predicting the hardest hit areas could see another 20 to 30 inches of snow today, which would lead to snowfall totals in the 70 to 75 inch range.

“The lake effect snow is going to stay where it is until mid to late afternoon,” warned Jon Hitchcock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Hitchcock thinks it will “take many days to dig out the Southtowns.”

The National Weather Service warned that the snow off the Great Lakes would continue at least through Wednesday, affecting also Interstate 81 between Syracuse and the Canadian border.

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