BUFFALO, N.Y., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Buffalo, N.Y., was hit hard by a snowstorm and stranded motorists said they were approached by hawkers who tried to sell them gasoline for $25 a gallon.
The reports came from motorists snowbound on the New York Thruway in the Buffalo area Friday,The Buffalo News said.
A lake-effect snowstorm that began Wednesday brought traffic on Interstate 90 to a halt for 10 miles, stranding hundreds of people in their vehicles.
The News reported portions of the Thruway were closed for Friday's morning commute and that traffic on other highways moved slowly.
The water-laden snow, accompanied by thunder and lightning, blanketed areas south of downtown Buffalo Wednesday and Thursday but left northern areas barely touched, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Zaff.
"If you're north of the lake-effect band, you saw nothing," Zaff said. "If you're in it, you got a lot of snow. In the same town, you can have 1 inch of snow in one area, and a foot in another area".
The storm bore down on eastern suburbs, the News said.
Depew, Lancaster and Alden all recorded more than 2 feet of snow. West Seneca had 32 inches, Lancaster, 28 inches and Elma, 26 inches.
The storm began as rain Wednesday but turned into snow during the evening.
"It wasn't light, fluffy snow," Zaff said. "It was like wet cement". UPI
