A Christmas storm hammered Erie, Pa., dumping as much as 160 centimetres of snow in just over 48 hours, making it a white Christmas for the record books.
Erie and the surrounding area began to dig out Wednesday after being buried under more than a metre-and-a-half of lake-effect snow.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the snow began to fall around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and was accumulating as much as five centimetres per hour.
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The city received over 86 centimetres of the white stuff on Christmas Day alone, shattering the previous single-day snow record set in 1956, according to the NWS.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf requested Tuesday additional resources including plow trucks and heavy machinery to help deal with the record precipitation.
“Our primary concern is for the safety and well-being of people in the area,” the governor said. “Multiple agencies are working with local officials to address the snowfall and ensure that requests for state help are processed quickly and so there’s no delay in delivery of whatever is needed. Please help first responders by being safe and avoiding travel if possible.”
Wolf also requested the assistance of the National Guard late Tuesday night.
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“Our National Guard members are trained to assist the citizens of our commonwealth during severe winter storms like Erie is experiencing right now,” Wolf said.
As of Wednesday morning, the Erie International Airport recorded 162 centimetres of snow, according to the NWS.
Residents appeared to be taking the weather in stride, sharing the storm photos on social media.
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