One of the rare designations that meteorologists have in their toolkit to get people to pay attention is the phrase "particularly dangerous situation," or PDS for short. ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION... BLINDING SNOW AND WHITEOUT CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING. This cold air is key to the blinding lake effect snow pumping off of Lake Erie. Lake effect snow is produced through convection, which is the same process that produces thunderstorms. The bands of lake effect snow roaring across western New York have been prolific.

Source: Forbes January 30, 2019 22:52 UTC