New York Weather

Significant Weather Events

Buffalo and other parts of the Northeast US endured the coldest winter in 24 years (winter of 2002-2003). 3 out of the 5 Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, and Superior) have frozen over, something that only happens about once a decade on average. Click for a MODIS gallery image of the frozen lakes taken March 3, 2003.

Buffalo and upstate New York are snow for the amazing lake effect snows that sometimes occur. Here are some of the more amazing storms in the recent past:

Jan 11-14, 1997    Storm 'H' blitzes the areas east of Lake Ontario with some amazing totals: 91" at Montague (40" of which fell in an 8-h period!, 60" in 24-h), 75" at North Osceola, and 67" at Redfield (in 48-h). After the amazing snow dump, Montague had a snow depth of 68"!

Dec 21, 1999      A storm dumps 54" on one fortunate location.

Dec 24-31, 2001    Buffalo's biggest winter weather event since the Blizzard of 1977. 81" fall in Buffalo over 7 days, 127" at Montague, 104" at Highmarket, 86" at North Osceola (48" fell in a 24-h period).

Jan 10, 2003    51" falls in North Osceola

Feb 12, 2003     50" snow falls in Hannibal

More about these and other Lake Effect Snowstorms from the Buffalo NWS Web Page

Snow Spotter Monthly Totals for the last several winters   

The Blizzard of '77    30 year commemoration from the Buffalo NWS