There's a ton of snow in Buffalo, and also a football game if you can see through it

If you hadn't heard, snow finally came to the Northeast this weekend.

The wintry pounding continues in frigid Buffalo, New York, with intense lake effect snow bands — and even some lightning — hitting the area.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Such snow bands occur when cold air blows over the relatively warm water of a lake picking up moisture, and dumping it as snow in downwind areas (h/t to Mashable weather wizard Andrew Freedman). Buffalo, unsurprisingly, is one of the most lake effect prone cities in the U.S., due to to its proximity to Lake Erie.

But it's Sunday, folks, and there's football to be played.

The city's NFL squad, the Bills, host the Indianapolis Colts in a snow bowl that won't soon be forgotten, even though the teams are having subpar (the Bills) and awful (the Colts) seasons. Snow football is the best football, after all, so the game is the social media highlight of this football Sunday.

Playing December football in Buffalo means that you'll have to at least try manage large amounts of the white stuff. The Bills' Twitter account put out a call on Saturday for extra snow shovelers so that the field could be clear ahead of game time.

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But the shovelers were just for preparation. Come game day, some fans had a hard time actually getting to the stadium, because, well...

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But they got there eventually. Let's take a look at the field conditions after kickoff:

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The team eschewed the shovelers for snowblowers on game day, thankfully, so the teams can at least have some idea where they are on the field.

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As a former cold-weather region football player myself, it warms my heart to see many of the players taking to the elements sans-sleeves. It's insane, but it's just one of those things football players do.

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But it's not just the players out there braving the elements. Those intrepid, faithful fans are just as insane dedicated, and should be commended for their efforts.

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R.I.P. Colts fan who showed up wearing an Andrew Luck jersey and no jacket.

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Mashable's own Marcus Gilmer is currently glued to his TV screen from afar, eager to catch every single highlight (and trying to pick out the white-clad Colts players in the flurry).

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A more apt comparison: Westeros' North Wall, the snowiest section of the realm in Game of Thrones. Nice reference, Bills Twitter.

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Meanwhile, the two teams are actually trying to play. The snow isn't making that any easier.

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Take an extra sip of hot cocoa for them, y'all. They need it.