A major lake-effect snowstorm brought record-breaking amounts of snow to the Great Lakes region, especially areas downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario. The storm caused multiple road closures, including Interstates 90 and 86, along with power outages, school and business closures, and other travel delays.

A change in snow fortunes came fast and furious. A number of locations went from a foot or more below average to several feet above average in a matter of days.

Forecasters warned that some areas would be “paralyzed” by the storm. Nearly three feet of snow had already accumulated in Perrysburg, N.Y., about 30 miles south of Buffalo.