A blast of arctic air gripping much of the United States this weekend is bringing heavy lake snow to several states, including Pennsylvania and New York, and causing freezing temperatures in parts of the South.

Winter advisories including lake effect snow advisories have been posted for parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York state for this weekend, some of which are in effect through Monday evening.

As cold air flows over the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, significant lake-effect snow bands are expected to blanket several communities – from Cleveland, Ohio, to Buffalo, New York – with snowfall.

Overall, the cold air mass is bringing temperatures below freezing as far south as Florida, and more than 13 million people in nine southern states are under a freeze warning.

The highest amounts of snow this weekend are expected around Watertown, New York, where 3 to 5 feet of snow is forecast. The narrow and intense snow bands can lead to whiteout situations locally, making travel almost impossible.

A second heavy snowfall is expected to occur primarily south of Buffalo, with the Dunkirk, New York area expected to see more than 3 feet of snow this weekend.

On Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in nearly a dozen counties in the western part of the state, saying the storm was expected to create dangerous conditions and lead to road closures, travel disruptions and widespread power outages.

In Erie County, New York, which includes Buffalo, local officials urged caution.

“This will be a severe storm, particularly in the southern portions of Erie County,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said during a news conference Friday. “If you don’t have to drive, stay home. It’s not worth the risk.”

The worst affected areas will be towns such as Eden, Evans and Hamburg, as well as smaller villages such as Angola and Farnham. In these places there can be between 90 and 120 cm of snow and driving on roads is almost impossible. Northern Erie County, including Buffalo, will not be as badly affected, with only a few inches of snow expected.

According to Poloncarz, driving could be dangerous.

“We’re talking about whiteout conditions where you can’t see anything while driving,” he said. “It will be very dangerous.”

Some roads are already closed, including a portion of Interstate 90 near the Pennsylvania border.

The Buffalo Bills play on Sunday night, but fans can expect a lot of snow. The county says there could be 20 to 30 inches of snow at the stadium before the game starts. The team is ready to clear the snow, but it will still be difficult to get to the game.

“It will be cold too,” Poloncarz said. “Fans should bundle up and be prepared for the teenage cold.”

Poloncarz added, “People in Western New York know how to deal with snow. “We can do it if we are careful.”

Cold wind brings heavy lake-effect snow to several states, originally appeared on abcnews.go.com