BUFFALO, New York -- It may be late February, but the Great Lakes are still relatively ice-free. That means the lake effect snow machine is open for business. 

While Michiana will see a little lake effect snow into Thursday courtesy of Lake Michigan, it's Lake Erie and Lake Ontario that will be stealing the spotlight in a major way. 

Winter Storm Warnings and Lake Effect Snow Warnings are in effect for parts of New York down-wind of both lakes. 

That's because up to a foot of snow is expected for many areas. It doesn't end there, though. A dominant band or two of lake effect will likely develop Thursday and Friday, pushing some snow totals into the "feet" category. 

Depending on where exactly the heavy bands set up, some locations could easily see 2-4 feet of total snowfall thru Saturday morning.

Totals of that magnitude haven't been seen all winter, and a few spots in western New York may see more snow in 72 hours than much of Michiana has gotten all winter!

Within the heaviest band(s), snow could fall at a rate of 1-3" an hour. Combined with wind gusts of 40-50 mph, the snow will cause blizzard conditions and complete whiteouts.