buffalo snow

All posts tagged buffalo snow

Snowiest Big cities in the United States updated! I’m impressed that Syracuse & Buffalo, NY & Erie, Pa are sticking around in the Top 10 & Top 5. All 3 way under their average if my fuzzy math is right It’s:

Syracuse -29.2
Erie -23.6
Buffalo -19.1

Provo, Utah is way behind too.

Provo -20.8

New update – http://goldensnowglobe.com/all-snowiest-us-cities/

Spokane, Washington Starts Up The Golden Snow Globe Snow Contest

Updated 10:00 PM – 9/29

Wow! Spokane, Washington broke two date records yesterday and today. Spokane set a record yesterday, 9/28 with 1.9 inches of snow and another record today, 9/29 with 3.1 inches being reported so far. That’s a pretty good start to the snow contest this early in the snow season. I’m impressed and it takes a lot to impress me ;) WTG Spokane!
—————————————–
Updated 9/28 – Say it isn’t snow! It is and Spokane, Washington is the 1st city, as far as I know, to receive measurable snowfall so far for the 2019-2020 snow season. WTG, Spokane.

There are at least 8 other cities that are reporting a trace of snow this season. The snow season runs from July 1st thru June 30th. Buffalo, NY was the snowiest Big city in the country last season beating out the favorite, Syracuse, NY by a few inches. It will be fun to see if Buffalo can defend their spot on top of the snow mountain.

I’ll have to check and see if any of the other cities have started the snow contest this early. After the way this summer has been, I think I am ready for a little bit of snow ;) It’s still in the where I am at and it’s getting really old. OK, it has been old for the last couple of months. Happy Fall everyone and before you know it we will have a Top 25 list.

Click Here for the Top 25 snowiest big cities!

Buffalo, New York Wins Both The Golden Snow Globe and Golden Snowball Snow Contests

A Big Congrats to Buffalo, New York of winning both of the snow contests this season and for also being the snowiest Big city with a population of 100,000 or more. It’s been a long time coming and it was a fun close 2018-2019 snow season.

Buffalo, NY is officially the winner as of the end of yesterday, June 30th which is when the snow season ends. Believe it or not, the new snow season started up at midnight, July 1st :) Buffalo was able to hold on to a 3.8 inch lead over second place Syracuse, NY. It’s been a long time since Buffalo out snowed Syracuse which goes all the way back to the 2001-2001 snow season. Wow! Who would have thought it would take that long for Buffalo to take the bragging rights back? Not me! Kudos :)

I know it’s way later than we normally call the snow season but I figured after what happen to Erie, PA last season I would hold off until the snow season was officially over. Last season Erie had around 30 inches of snow taken away from them in the middle of summer. Let’s hope all of the adjustments have been made by now and there aren’t any mid-summer corrections :(

Buffalo wins the Golden Snow Globe snow contest.

Congratulations Buffalo!

How Buffalo beat Syracuse, Rochester, NY, Erie, PA & All of the Others

Yes, the obvious is Buffalo had more snow that all of the other cities, lol :P Buffalo ended up with 118.8 inches of snow this season which is about 2 feet higher their average snowfall for a season. That helped out along with Syracuse coming in this season below the average snowfall that they normally received. On January 25th Syracuse had about a foot lead over Buffalo but on or about January 26th Buffalo stormed past Syracuse to take the lead. I will have a season summary within the next few days laying out how this season played out. It was a lot of fun and I hope everyone else had fun also. Stay tuned for the summary and have a Great summer all ;) Final Top 25 Snowiest Cities in the US Here!

More to be added to this post!

Erie, Pennsylvania Wins Golden Snow Globe Snow Contest

I feel confident enough with the lead that Erie, PA has over second place Syracuse right now to say Congratulations to all of the folks in Erie, Pennsylvania and well deserved.

It’s time to wrap up the national Golden Snow Globe snow contest for big cities in the United States with a population of 100,000 or more as of the 2010 census. It’s been a fun snow contest this season as always even though Erie did have the biggest lead that I can remember going into January since the snow contest started. I feel confident that Erie’s lead of 44.9 inches over 2nd place Syracuse is enough to carry them through May and June. 200 inches? Still possible IMO ;)

Keep in mind though that until the end of June 30th, everything is unofficial ;) We never know if there are any adjustments or corrections to be made to the current snow stats by the National Weather Service.

It's a wrap! Erie, Pennsylvania is snowies Big city in United States.

Congratulations Erie!

I will keep doing updates if there is snow and it could still be fun to see if Erie, pa can pass Buffalo, NY’s seasonal snow record of 199.4 inches which was set back in the 1976-1977 snow season. Right now, (4/30/2018), Erie is only 0.9 inches away from tying Buffalo, 1 inch away from passing Buffalo and 1.5 inches away from doing what no other Big city has done in the past, reach 200 inches in a season.

Erie, Pa was ahead of Syracuse, NY by about 83 inches going into January. Think about that! Most cities in the Golden Snow Globe snow contest don’t even have that much snow for the season :) My thoughts at that time were if Syracuse or any of the other cities could have cut the lead down to around 30 inches by sometime in February then they maybe still had a shot. That didn’t happen and probably wouldn’t have mattered because Erie continued to keep adding to their snow totals.

How The 2017-2018 Snow Season Played Out

There have been 5 lead changes this season if my fuzzy math is right ;)

* Lakewood, CO Leads – The snow season started up on or around 10/10/17 when the Colorado cities were the first to report snow for the season. Lakewood, CO was leading the snow contest with 4.5 inches of snow and continued to lead until around 11/9/17 when Billings, Montana took the lead with 4.9 inches.

* Billings, MT Leads – Billings, MT was the first lead change of the snow season and Spokane Washington was right behind Billings is second place. We had our 1st Top 25 on or around 10/25/17.

Erie, PA jumps on the snowboard for the 1st time this season on or around 11/19 with 0.3 inches. Billings, MT has over a foot of snow held on to the lead until Erie, PA snows into the lead on or around 12/12/17

* Erie, PA Leads – Erie, Pa is now in the lead with 16.5 inches of snow but it was a short-lived stay on the top of the Golden Snow Globe snow mountain. On 12/13 Syracuse, NY slipped past Erie and into the lead :)

* Syracuse, NY Leads – Syracuse moves into the lead with a snow total of 21.2 inches of snow. Erie, Pa wasn’t too happy and moved back into the lead a couple of days later on 12/15

* Erie, PA Leads – Erie, Pa takes the lead back from Syracuse and has a snow total of 23.8 inches. Erie, Pa holds on to the lead until, well until now :)
I know how this story ends and it’s about to get pretty ugly soon :) :)

Erie, Pa never lost the lead again the rest of the 2017-2018 snow season. On or around 12/23/2017 Erie had a total of 37.5 inches of snow. On 12/25 Erie’s snow totals almost doubled and they were up to 73.5 inches. Oh, it didn’t stop there and the snow didn’t either. On 12/26 I’m showing that Erie had 97.5 inches and it was still snowing. Come 12/27 Erie’s new snow total was at 103.6 inches of snow. WOW!!! :)

Erie leads 2nd place Syracuse by 67.8 inches or should we say over 5 feet of snow. Oh, it gets worst before it starts to get a little better. Erie’s snow lead over 2nd place Syracuse was as high as 83.3 inches by the end of December. That’s almost 7 feet of snow more than Syracuse, NY, the snowiest Big city in the country on average has. Crazy! :)

Syracuse did manage to cut Erie’s lead down to 40+ inches but nothing was stopping Erie this season. OK, maybe that 200-inch mark is stopping Erie but that is about it. Erie crushed their previous highest seasonal snow record of 149.1 inches which was set back in the 2000-2001 snow season. As of the last update Erie, Pa’s new seasonal record is at 198.5 inches on the season. Congrats Erie :)

I know this is all Erie, Erie, Erie – Marsha, Marsha, Marsha but that is pretty much how this season went. I am working on a trophy for Erie but need to find what I want and also need to wait and see what the final snow totals will be. Thanks for making this snow season so much fun everyone, Patrick

To Be Continued, Stay Tuned :)

Syracuse, New York 2016-2017 Snowiest Big City in the United States

I think it’s time and safe right now to call Syracuse the snow champs of the Big cities in the United States with a population of 100,00 or more.

Congrats to Syracuse but of course right now it’s an unofficial Congrats. The reason for the unofficial congrats is because the season does go on until June 30th. REALLY! Plus, who is thinking about snow on June 30th :)

The last time Syracuse won the National Golden Snow Globe contest was back in the 2012-2013 snow season. Syracuse hung on that season to pull out a victory over Worcester, MA. Last season’s defending snow champs Lakewood, Colorado is currently in 24th place.

I also want to say congrats to Runner-up Rochester, NY. I’m pretty confident that Rochester should be able to hold on to the #2 spot on the Golden Snow Globe mountain. With a possible snow storm ready to hit a few cities in the western US I think I will hold off on congratulating the other 3 cities in the Top 5 for now ;)

That said I have posted the most snow that any of the cities in the Top 10 has received in the past for the months of May and June below. This is why I am confident to declare Syracuse the winners of the 2016-2017 Golden Snow Globe snow contest this early/late in the snow season. I will continue to keep updating the snow stats for all of the cities up until the official date of June 30th so stay tuned for any changes and there may be some.

May and June Snowfall for Rochester, New York

#2 Rochester, New York - The most snow that The National Weather Service is showing for Rochester in May is 10.9 inches of snow which was in 1989. I’m not seeing any snow for Rochester in June and the date of records go back to the 1873-1874 snow season. I’m sure there were several measuring spots over the years but 10.7 inches is the most that shows out of any of them. Right now Syracuse is ahead of 2nd place Rochester, NY by 27.8 inches of snow. It was a close and fun competition this season Roc, but not this season. Not gonna happen ;)

May and June Snowfall for Anchorage, Alaska

#3 Anchorage, Alaska - The most snow that the National Weather Service is showing for Anchorage, Alaska in may is 5.0 inches back in 2001 and only a trace of snow in June. These records go back almost 70 years to the 1953-1954 season in the Anchorage area. Right now Syracuse is ahead of Anchorage, AK by 52.5 inches of snow. Not going to happen ;)

May and June Snowfall for Erie, Pennsylvania

#4 Erie, Pennsylvania - Here is the most snow that Erie, PA has received in May and June going back to 1926. Erie received 0.4 inches in May of 1989 and received only a trace of snow several time in the month of June. Right now, Erie, Pa is 56.3 inches of snow behind Syracuse, NY. A Big shout out to all of the visitors from Erie but, Not going to happen this season ;)

May and June Snowfall for Worcester, Massachusetts

#5 Worcester, Massachusetts - The most snow that Worcester, MA has ever received in May was 11.4 inches in 1977. Pretty impressive IMO but with the lead that Syracuse has right now that wouldn’t be enough to take the lead. No measurable snow has been recorded in June going back to about 1899. There were several seasons between then and present that snow stats weren’t kept for Worcester. Worcester, MA trails Syracuse, NY right now by 56.6 inches. Sorry Worcester, Not going to happen ;)

May and June Snowfall for Manchester, New Hampshire

#6 Manchester, New Hampshire - There really is now way to figure out how much snow Manchester, NH has received in the months of May and June. Most of the time Manchester didn’t have a weather station to keep track of the snow stats. I’m pretty sure though, that it is safe to say with Manchester trailing Syracuse by 57.2 inches, it’s Not going to happen ;)

May and June Snow for Buffalo, New York

#7 Buffalo, New York - The most snow that Buffalo, NY has ever received in May is 7.9 inches in 1989. Buffalo has received a trace of snow in the month of June on several occasions but never any measurable snow in June. The snow stats for Buffalo go back to 1885. One thing that stood out while I was looking up the snow stats was that Buffalo has received a trace of snow at least once for every calendar month including July and August. Pretty cool but being behind Syracuse by 58.8 inches as of the last update, Not going to happen this season. Buffalo is long overdue so keep an eye on them next season ;)

May and June Snowfall for Billings, Montana

#8 Billings, Montana - Billings, Montana records date back to 1935. The most snow Billings has received in May is 15.0 inches which was back in 1981. Billings also received 2.0 inches of snow in June back in 1950. Currently, Syracuse is ahead of Billings, MT by 60.8 inches. Even though there is snow in the forecast for the surrounding area the next day or two, it’s Not going to happen this season Billings ;)

May and June Snow for Hartford, Connecticut

#9 Hartford, Connecticut - 1.3 inches of snow was the most that Hartford, Connecticut has ever received in May which was back in 1977. Hartford has never recorded any measurable snow in June but has had a trace of snow several times, the last time being in 1993. Hartford’s records go back to 1905. Yup, Not happening! Syracuse is ahead of Hartford by 72.6 inches as of the last update.

May and June Snowfall for Spokane, Washington

#10 Spokane, Washington - The most snow that Spokane, Washington has ever received in May since records have been kept is 3.5 inches which was back in 1967. Spokane has received a trace of snow in June several times with the most recent being just last year in 2016. Right now Spokane trails Syracuse by 73.4 inches of snow this season. Yeah, y’all know, Not happening this season ;)

Source – All information and statistics come from The National Weather Service at http://www.noaa.gov/

On a side note (Shameless Plug) – The semi-annual fundraiser (actually the first ever) is going on for the snow site(s) right now. In other words, if you have a couple of bucks or if you’re Bill Gates a few million to donate to help out the snow site (Me), now is a pretty good time. If you don’t, no problem because I don’t either. If so, you do not have to join PayPal in order to donate to the site and all of your info is between you and PayPal other than your name so I know who donated and I can Thank You. Yeah, I know this post is lame but kind of necessary right now. Go Northeast and it’s gonna be fun from here on!

* Thank You Jennifer M. for your donation and for taking the time. They help out a lot Jennifer and I really do appreciate it :)
* Thanks Debra A. for taking the time. I truly appreciate it :)
* I want to give a Big Thanks to John A. for your donation tonight. It helps out more than you know John :)
* Thanks Stephen S. for your donation today. Words even above can’t explain how much it helps me out :)
————————————

Updated 1/21 2:00 AM -Erie, PA is the new King of the snow mountain right now. As of the last update Erie, PA has taken the top spot away from Sioux Falls, SD by one snowflake. Keep in mind that I only updated the Top 5 cities after getting a heads up from Erie’s very own Geoff Cornish. Thanks Geoff for the heads up and making me stay up a little later, j/k ;) Check out the news and Geoffs forecasts for Erie at

Stay Tuned for full update sometime tomorrow when I wake up. Don’t hold your breath for a morning update ;)

———————————————–

Updated 1/20 8 PM -Syracuse, NY has managed to get just enough snowflakes to slip past Erie, PA and to move onto the 2 slot of the snow mountain. Sioux Falls still is the King of the snow mounatin right now by a couple of inches give or take.

I’m loving the way the snow contest has been taking shape this past week and loving how close it is. Some of the other cities that we are use to seeing on the top have been steadily climbing their way to the top. The storm that is expected to hit the coast this weekend should make it even more interesting and fun.

Fun is what the snow contest is all about folks. So have fun and Please take this storm seriously if it’s in the forecast for your area. Have a Great Night and Drive Safe :)

———————————————–

Updated 1/19 8 PM - The snow race is getting exciting and the big question as we all waited for this last update is did Erie take the lead? Better yet did Erie manage to stay in 2nd place?

The answer can be found on the Top 25 page :P Just to give you a heads up before you go there I have to mention that Syracuse broke a date record today breaking the old record of 7.3 inches set back in 2003 and no I’m not saying how much yet No doubt the Golden Snow Globe bears are chasing Syracuse’s butts too ;)

——————————————–

The way Erie, Pennsylvania has been sledding up the snow mountain you would think they are being chased by a Golden Snow Globe snow bear or something. Is there a such thing as a snow bear and do we have them on the mountain? Maybe it’s not a snow bear and it’s Syracuse, New York they are trying to stay ahead of. Both cities have been climbing towards the top of the National snow contest for Big cities with a population of 100,000 or more.

Cute little polar bear cubs in the snow.

Both Erie, PA and Syracuse have been able to connect with some decent Lake Effect snow this last week or so moving into the Top 5 of the snowiest BIG cities in the country. The new Top 5 as of this last update are now Sioux Falls, SD, Erie, PA, Lakewood, CO, Spokane, WA and Syracuse, NY. Many other cities have also been breaking camp finally and making the trek to the top of the snow mountain now that the cold air is finally sticking around.

In the last week give or take a day Erie has gone from the 14th slot in the snowiest city contest to the number 2 slot. It will be interesting come the next update to see if Erie can take away the top spot from Sioux Falls. Stay tuned ;)

Syracuse has moved all the way up the snow mountain from the 41st spot to move into the number 5 slot the last several days. Like Erie and several other cities, they hooked into some decent lake effect snow the last week give or take.

The last 7 days have helped several cities in the North East catch up either a little or a lot and the snow contest is finally starting to take shape. Oh, it gets even better maybe for those of you who remember how last season’s snow race went. It went right down to the finish with Lowell, MA pulling out a victory at the very end beating Syracuse and Worcester, MA which were in a tie.

As of this last update last season’s snow champs Lowell are in 47th place give or take with just 6.3 inches of snow so far for the 2015-2016 snow season. Boston isn’t even in the Top 50 right now. The thing is and I’m guessing, most of the cities from the north that are near the bottom right now probably were last season also at this time but then… Then all of the Nor’Easter’s and storms started hitting. Pretty close to right about this time in the season.

Hmmm, did someone say storm? They did and I see all of the pros talking about a storm getting ready to hit some of those cities in the near future that have been hanging at the bottom of the snow mountain. Cities like Boston, Philly and many others. You all know that I am clueless so check with your favorite Meteorologist to get more information on what they are expecting to be a Nor’Easter hitting the coast sometime come Friday and Saturday. Hey, Have a Great Day Everyone ;)

I was updating the snow stats last night and noticed that Amarillo, Texas is under a blizzard warning. I’m thinking of the snow that the northeast has received so far or should I say lack of snow received and just thinking how crazy this snow season has been.

From The National Weather Service For Amarillo, TX

…BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO
NOON CST MONDAY…

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO
NOON CST MONDAY.

* WINDS AND VISIBILITY…NORTHERLY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH
GUSTS NEAR 60 MPH. VISIBILITIES FROM FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW
WILL LIKELY DROP TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…6 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW WITH LOCALIZED HIGHER
AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. SNOW DRIFTS OF 5 TO 10 FEET ARE LIKELY GIVEN THE
EXPECTED STRONG WINDS.

* WIND CHILLS…THE COMBINATION OF STRONG NORTH WINDS AND COLD
TEMPERATURES WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 10 BELOW ZERO
FOR MUCH OF THE EVENT.

* IMPACTS…TRAVEL WILL BECOME EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS…IF NOT
IMPOSSIBLE.

A blizzard warning issued for Amarillo, Texas

Record temperatures are/were being broken all over the eastern half of the United States while some of the cities to the west are and have been getting snow all season. Spokane Washington moved into second place after yesterdays update as they flew up the snow mountain the last week or so. Not so unusual for Spokane to get some good snowfall though.

What is pretty unusual is seeing cities like Albuquerque, New Mexico, Amarillo, Texas, Reno, Nevada and several other cities ahead of the northeast cities right now as far as snow totals go. They are ahead of cities such as Syracuse, New York which on average is the snowiest big city in the United states with a population of 100,000 or more. Ahead of Erie, PA, Buffalo, NY, Rochester, NY and Grand Rapids, Michigan which are some of the other snowiest big cities in the US. Crazy, Crazy, Crazy weather to say the least.

It looks like some colder air will finally be settling in sometime soon and may even stick around for awhile this time. It may be time to finally get the leaves raked up :)

Have a Great Weekend Everyone and as always – See Snow, Drive Slow.

Buffalo Breaks No Snow Record

Wow and Congrats to Buffalo on breaking the all-time record for not receiving any measurable snowfall this far into the snow season according the Buffalo National Weather Service.

Buffalo National Weather Service Statement - “It’s official, Buffalo has set a new record for the latest measurable snow. The previous record was December 3rd, set back in 1899. We will continue to add to this record for many days to come, with no cold or snow expected for at least the next 10 days. Here is the 6-10 day forecast, showing very high chances for above normal temperatures to last for much of the nation through the middle of December.”.

So while Anchorage, Alaska has been camping out at the top of the Golden Snow Globe mountain for quite awhile now Buffalo hasn’t even stepped on the snow mountain to start climbing. When Buffalo does finally start climbing the snow mountain they will have at least 46 other cities that are ahead of them to slip past. That’s going to be a whole lot of snowball fights so Buffalo better start stocking up on snowballs. Oh, that’s right they have no snow, lol :)

I did an update earlier today and the top cities continue to add a little snow here and there. A lot of cities are going to have to make up a lot of snow to catch up to the cities near the top of the snow mountain.

Anchorage, Alaska Snowiest Big City in US

Anchorage has been hanging at the top so long now that they probably have a nice snow fort built by now along with an endless supply of snowballs to toss at any city that attempts to take over the top of the mountain. Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Lakewood, Colorado have been keeping close to Anchorage and it will be interesting to see if either of those cities can take over the number one spot on the mountain.

Chicago, Illinois is in 4th place right now. Seriously and I kid you not. Chicago, as of the last update has over a foot of snow already this season. Chicago’s normal snow totals for this time in the season are just around 2 inches of snow. WTG Chicago! Lakewood, Colorado has 16 inches so far for the 2015-2016 snow season which is right around their normals for this time.

It may not be snowing in your neck of the woods but a lot of cities are getting snow. So far and I’m sure there are a few that we missed, 46 Big cities with a population of 100,000 or more have had measurable snowfall so far for the 2015-2016 snow season. Stay Tuned ;)

Have a Great Night Everyone!

Snowvember, One Year Anniversary of Epic Snow in Buffalo – Surrounding Area

It all started one year ago, an epic snow event that hit parts of the Buffalo area and other surrounding Western New York cities. Below is a great look back that was sent to me by Richard Hulburd who lives in Hamburg, New York.

Richard sent me what it was like to be in the thick of the snow storm. He also sent some great information including the Buffalo National Weather Synopsis of the storm. Richard put together a great video that plays out the Snowvember snowstorm which includes some really cool pictures that he gathered from different sources as the snow was falling. A BIG Thanks Richard for taking the time. Everything below was put together by Richard Hulburd from Hamburg, NY.

November 2014 Lake Effect Snow Storm Video, Buffalo New York

Richard’s Story Lake Effect Snow Storm Buffalo, Hamburg, NY

I drove home from training right by the Airport on the 17th and on the way home the snow from the low-pressure system was just ended. The total from that storm was around an inch. After I got home the band really started to get going. I went to the gym and on the way home the roads were already getting bad. I always go lake effect chasing so decided to attempt to go out in it and see how strong the band was and to visit the Weather Channel who were in the town of Hamburg about 2 1/2 miles away. I got about a mile and decided to turn around. I have driven in some heavy snow, but this was something else. I could not see anything at all, literally… Between 9 and 1 am I received 18 inches of snow. The snow continued overnight as I went on several walks outside in the heart of the band.

The following day the band continued producing rates of 3-5 inches an hour on average. The total from round 1 at my location was 50″. Round 2 was not as intense as round one but still very strong. I went for several walks around Hamburg and posted videos on my Youtube channel for the entire duration of the event. I was in contact with several meteorologists’ from NBC, CNN, and The Weather Channel that used my Youtube videos to show others how crazy this event was. During round 2 I was able to go on the I90 New York State Thruway and walked down the middle of it. It was so awesome! It was a surreal scene with just the snow banks, snowfall rates, and the calmness that I felt as I walked there alone. It is something I will never forget!

As we walked around during the course of the event the people we met were in such good spirits despite what was going on. We saw loads of people walking back with beer and food and the store shelves were completely empty.
Towards the end of the event, I received some staggering snowfall rates of up to 6-7″ per hour. In total received 38.5″ from round 2 for a 3 day total of 88.5″ for the event. It was very difficult to keep accurate totals for this event, but I was in a prime location for the heaviest totals. Definitely an event that i will never forget and tell my grandkids about.

First Event November 17-18th 2014

The epic November 17-19th 2014 lake effect event will be remembered as one of the most significant winter events in Buffalo’s snowy history. Over 5 feet of snow fell over areas just east of Buffalo, with mere inches a few miles away to the north. There were 13 fatalities with this storm, hundreds of major roof collapses and structural failures, 1000s of stranded motorists, and scattered food and gas shortages due to impassable roads. Numerous trees also gave way due to the weight of the snow, causing isolated power outages. While this storm was impressive on its own, a second lake effect event on Nov-19-20 dropped another 1-4 feet of snow over nearly the same area and compounded rescue and recovery efforts. Storm totals from the two storms peaked at nearly 7 feet, with many areas buried under 3-4 feet of dense snowpack by the end of the event.

The storm began Monday around 6 PM evening (Nov 17) as a band of snow developed over the Buffalo Southtowns and quickly moved into the Northtowns with thunder and lightning. However, the band settled south fairly quickly…and by 9 PM the band had moved mostly just south of the city and airport and locked in place as the 15-20 mile wide band centered on a line from Lackawanna and Hamburg ENE across West Seneca, Lancaster, and Alden.

The northern edge of the lake effect band was so striking that many described it as a wall of snow. Snow rates on the northern edge easily exceeded 3 inches per hour with some snow rates near 6 inches per hour. By sunrise, some areas had already exceeded 3 feet of snow. This occurred in under 12 hours. Meanwhile, the southern edge of the band was located along the Lake Erie shoreline in Chautauqua County to near the Southtowns, including Orchard Park, East Aurora, and east into Wyoming county including Attica where about a foot of snow had fallen by sunrise. Travel across the Southtowns was nearly impossible with most roads unplowed as plows, at least those that weren’t stuck, focused a few main roadways needed for emergency vehicles. The Thruway was was shut down from the PA border to Rochester, and other routes, including 190, 290, and 400 were also shut down.

During Tuesday, November 18, the snow band didn’t budge, and by nightfall snow amounts from Lancaster to Southern Cheektowaga east to Alden had accumulated in excess of 4 to 5 feet by the end of the day. The wall of snow was still quite apparent with blue skies to the north and zero visibility on the other side. On Transit Road, there were only a few inches on the ground at Genesee Street, but several feet of snow at Walden Avenue less than 2 miles to the south. Winds gusted to 35 mph…and briefly gusted higher along the edges of the band…but in general winds created sub-blizzard conditions. There were still whiteout conditions however as snow continued to fall in excess of 3 inches per hour.

The band began to waver a little to the south Tuesday night…but overall continued in a slightly weaker state over the southtowns. Finally, the band let up as it drifted to the north and weakened rapidly Wednesday morning.
East of Lake Ontario, a lake band developed south of Watertown Monday night, then drifted north across the city and ENE to Harrisville. This band produced stronger winds than its Lake Erie counterpart, with gusts mostly in the 40-50 mph range with a peak gust to 55 mph at Watertown, producing blizzard conditions at times. By Tuesday night the band settled south over the Tug Hill Plateau, then quickly moved north Wednesday morning. Storm totals were highly variable, with snow amounts generally ranging between 1-2 feet in the hardest hit areas.

Snowfall Off Lake Erie

65 inches… S. Cheektowaga
63 inches… Lancaster
60 inches… Gardenville
57 inches… West Seneca
51 inches… Elma
48 inches… Hamburg
6.2 inches… Buffalo airport

Snowfall Off Lake Ontario

22 inches… Philadelphia
16 inches… Redfield
16 inches… Beaver Falls
16 inches… Theresa
15 inches… Harrisville

Second event November 19-20th 2014

A very favorable climatological pattern for heavy lake effect snow was in place over the lower Great Lakes Wednesday and Thursday, Nov 19 and 20, as a deep closed H5 low was centered near the Michigan Straits while anomalously cold air was over the upper Ohio Valley and Mid West. At the surface, low pressure over the Upper Great Lakes Wednesday afternoon tracked across Southern Ontario to the Ottawa Valley by Thursday morning… then to the St Lawrence Valley by Thursday evening. This synoptic pattern circulated H85 temps of -14c across the lower Great Lakes to produce moderate to extreme instability over the relatively mild lake waters. The building instability was accompanied by a capping inversion that rose from around 7k feet at the start of the event to around 15k feet at its peak. This was all very conducive for the second straight lake effect event in less than 48 hours.

Starting with the activity off Lake Erie

Lake effect snow blossomed over Eastern Lake Erie and Southern Ontario Wednesday evening on a 220 flow. Cloud to ground lightning was noted near Long Point near the onset of the activity. As the cold air deepened and low level winds veered to 240, the lake band pivoted east and aligned itself with Lake Erie, allowing it to take full advantage of heat and moisture fluxes from the full fetch of the lake. The somewhat cellular band intensified into a solid plume of moderate to heavy lake snow, producing more thundersnow (in the Buffalo area) process. In the vicinity of the lightning, dual pol imagery depicted a wealth of graupel around 4k feet (nr -10c), which just happened to be in the heart of the mixed phase portion of the lake cloud. The band temporarily settled south to the Chautauqua County lake shore to the Buffalo Southtown’s to Southern Genesee County by midnight…very close to the where the momentous lake snow storm took place 24 to 48 hours earlier.

During the overnight, the band drifted back north to the Buffalo metropolitan area with enhanced cells producing another round of thunder snow. Unlike the epic event of the previous couple days, this snow band oscillated back and forth for the remainder of the event…drifting south by daybreak across Southern Erie County (about 10 miles south of the heaviest snow from the previous storm) and extending across Wyoming County before arching back to the north to the immediate southern suburbs of Buffalo for a couple hours Thursday afternoon.

The lake band was very well organized from late Wednesday night through much of Thursday, with IR satellite imagery indicating that there were abundant overshooting tops within the bands where some cloud tops (-35C) exceeded the cap by some 5k ft. The intensity of the band was also evident from the 2 to 4 inch per hour snowfall rates. This enabled the event to produce snowfall amounts of up to 4 feet across parts of Southern Erie County and Wyoming County. The moderate to heavy snow extended east across Livingston and Ontario counties as well…with accumulations approaching a foot over northern Livingston County. After the passage of a couple of reinforcing secondary cold fronts late Thursday afternoon and evening, the low level flow veered to the northwest, and this pushed the lake snows into the southern tier where increased shear and a shorter fetch broke the solid plume of snow into multiple bands. Snowfall amounts across the Western Southern Tier generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches with slightly higher amounts over the hilltops.

Off Lake Ontario

As is usually the case, the lake effect snow was 3 to 6 hours later in developing than that off Lake Erie. The band initially started over Kingston and parts of southern Quebec shortly after midnight Wednesday night, then as the 220 flow veered to 240 during the wee hours of the morning, the band shifted south and east across Jefferson County. By daybreak Thursday, twin bands of moderate to heavy snow were found east of Lake Ontario, with one centered over northernmost Jefferson County and the other over the northern slopes of the Tug Hill and northern Lewis County. As the southern band pushed south off the lake during the course of Thursday morning, the northern band drifted south to the northern slopes of the Tug Hill (southern Jefferson County to northern Lewis) where it remained nearly stationary through the course of the afternoon. Unlike the plume of heavy snow off Lake Erie, there was only limited lightning generated from the band off Lake Ontario, and that came over the Tug Hill Plateau. There is a suggestion that this lightning may have had some help from the orographic lift, as there was no lightning with the band when it was north or south of the Tug Hill.

A solid band of heavy lake snow was found over the Tug Hill Thursday evening, then the activity drifted south across Oswego and southernmost Lewis County during the remainder of the night. Snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches an hour helped to produce an average of a foot to a foot and half of snow within this band leading up to daybreak Friday…at which point the lake effect had weakened and become multi band in nature over Oswego and Northern Cayuga counties. The lake effect remained multi band in nature Southeast of Lake Ontario through midday Friday while continuing to weaken to nuisance lake streamers. Little additional snow accumulations were reported during the daylight hours Friday.

Snow Off Lake Erie

49.0 inches… Wales Center
48.0 inches… Marilla
47.5 inches… East Aurora
40.6 inches… Wyoming
10.7 inches… Buffalo airport

Snow Off Lake Ontario

22.4 inches… Highmarket
19.9 inches… Carthage
18.0 inches… Constableville
12.8 inches… Harrisville
11.0 inches… Redfield

Climatological Perspective

From a climatological perspective, the storm had signs of an unprecedented event early on, with historical analogs and climatological ensembles pointing to a rare if ever seen event over a 30 year climatology. 500 mb temperatures eventually dropped to -42C on the KBUF sounding Tuesday evening. With lake temperatures around 9C, lake induced equilibrium levels exceeded the 500mb level and maxed out near 20000’. Further up in the atmospheric column, the 200mb heights were lower than anything in recent memory. The more traditional 850mb temperature value of -15C was also on the lower edge of the climatological spectrum. From pattern recognition, this was a high confidence event…with “feet” of snow in the forecast over four days in advance. Data from the Saint Louis University CIPS (Cooperative Institute for Precipitation Systems) showed several analogs that matched 24 hour record snow events for Buffalo. Locally generated climatological analogs also showed that this event fit the bill for a significant event. The office had 56 hours lead time on a Lake Effect Watch and 32 hours lead time on a Warning. The office mentioned 3-5 inches per hour in the Warning prior to the start of the event and mentioned 2-3 feet forecast with additional significant amounts with the next event later in the week. Travel was forecast to become nearly impossible.
On a side note, this has happened before. During December 14-18, 1945. The airport measured nearly 37 inches with in excess of 70 inches just 4-6 miles south (Lancaster).

Favorite YouTube Videos Richard took during the lake effect snow event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imS2v8NeW5o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyPNUGH5lRE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ASgCEXW4g

Video Resources
* Richard Hulburd
* Buffalo National Weather Service
* CBS

First off as always I want to give a Big Thanks to Tom P. for your generous donation to the site. It really helps out and I appreciate you taking the time. Thanks Tom :)
——————————————–
OK, I thought with the snow contest being this close that it would be interesting to see how an average (no such thing as average ;) ) April is for the Top 7 cities in the snow contest this season.

Below is how April normally plays out for the cities listed including what the record snowfall is for April and the season that it happened. I went with the current Top 7 snowiest big cities in the country as of 4/2/2015.

I was a little surprised to see that Rochester, New York on average receives the most snow in April out of the cities listed below. I was also surprised to see that Rochester and Boston have the highest snowfall for April in the past seasons. With the National snow contest this close, it will be fun to see how April plays out :)

All of the stats are from the National Weather Service. The dates next to the city name is the date that the NWS started keeping records for that city I believe.

April Average Snowfall and Record snowfall for Top 7 Cities

——————–
Worcester, MA – 1891 – 1892
Average – 2.9
Max – 21.0 – 1987
——————-
Syracuse, NY – 1901 – 1902
Average 3.5
Max 16.4 – 1983
——————-
Lowell, MA – 1888 – 1889 (Lots of seasons missing)
Average – 1.7
Max – 19.2 – 1997
——————-
Buffalo, NY – 1884 – 1885
Average – 2.9
Max – 15.0 1975
——————-
Boston, MA – 1890 – 1891
Average – 1.3
Max – 22.4 – 1997
——————-
Erie, PA – 1892 – 1893
Average – 2.7
Max – 19.3 – 1901
——————
Rochester, NY – 1870 – 1871
Average – 3.8
Max – 25.1 – 1874
—————–

Have an Awesome Easter Weekend Everyone :)