Snow-covered streets led to at least one pileup and numerous stranded vehicles in New York's Buffalo area on Thursday, December 12, as a lake-effect storm hammered the region.

This footage was taken by storm chaser @weather_buffalo, who wrote, "Lots of accidents around the area."

Local officials declared a state of emergency for parts of western New York on Wednesday, and many schools were closed in Buffalo and surrounding communities on Thursday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that gusty winds combined with the heavy snow would produce "near-whiteout conditions at times" for parts of Erie County on Thursday.

Snowy and cold conditions are expected to continue into Friday, according to the NWS. Credit: @weather_buffalo via Storyful