BUFFALO, N.Y. — A snowfall that brought huge drifts and closed roads in the Buffalo area finally ended Friday as the looming threat of rain and higher temperatures through the weekend and beyond raised the possibility of floods and more roofs collapsing under the heavy loads.
More than 30 major roof collapses, most involving farm and flat-roof buildings, were reported overnight, officials said Friday, after snow Thursday brought the Buffalo area’s three-day total to an epic 7 feet or more.
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The forecast called for a chance of rain Saturday and more through Monday, with temperatures of about 60 degrees.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Sunday through Wednesday, and meteorologist Jon Hitchcock said there might be trouble with drainage as snow and the uncollected autumn leaves underneath block catch basins.
As towns and villages began preparing for potential flooding, stir-crazy homeowners – some stuck inside since Tuesday – and store employees climbed onto roofs to shovel off the snow and reduce the danger of collapse.
“Five hours yesterday and that’s just the beginning,” John Normile said Friday of the effort to clear snow from the roof of his Lake View ranch-style home. He, along with his daughter and her boyfriend, had knocked about 6 feet off the back of the house and planned to be back at it for a second day.
“We’re getting really concerned about the weight of it,” Normile said. “We’ve got to do it before the rain comes.”
The storms were blamed for at least 12 deaths in western New York, mostly from heart attacks and exposure. The latest was a 50-year-old man who was found Friday morning in his car, which was buried in snow in Cheektowaga, police said. The cause of death wasn’t immediately known.
One elderly resident of a nursing home died after it was evacuated amid concerns of a roof collapse, a spokeswoman for the home said. Deputy Erie County Executive Richard Tobe had earlier reported two deaths in the evacuation.
More than 50 people were evacuated from several mobile home parks in suburban Cheektowaga and West Seneca on Thursday because roofs were buckling. Tobe said at least 90 small roof collapses involving carports and other structures had been reported by Friday morning, in addition to damage to a pharmacy and a metal warehouse operated by a Christmas decorations company, where damage was estimated in the millions.
With roads impassable, driving bans in effect and the Buffalo Bills’ stadium buried in snow, the NFL decided to move the Sunday home game against the New York Jets to Monday night in Detroit.
The worst is expected Monday when, with temperatures around 60, snow will melt faster than it can be absorbed by the ground or snowpack.
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