Lake Effect Snow Buries Buffalo: Photos

More than 7 feet of snow fell on parts of Buffalo, N.Y., this week, in part due to a weather event called lake effect snow. It's a highly localized snowfall, which appears when cold air masses move over warmer lake waters. Snow may exceed 5 inches an hour and drop several feet at a time. Meanwhile, nearby, the skies may be sunny and there's no snow at all. Twitter and Instagram users took to social media to show off some of the more striking instances of the effect -- and some clever ways to deal with it.