New York, 1996

Heavy Snow in New York, March 3 to 4, 1996

March 3 to 4, 1996 · NWS BGM · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Arctic air poured into central New York on gusty west winds producing lake effect snow squalls across the eastern Finger Lakes and western Mohawk Valley, and scattered snow showers elsewhere. Nezr zero visibility in snow squalls forced the closure of many roads throughout central and southern Oneida County, including part of the New York State Thruway from Verona to Utica.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
1
Property damage
$13,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BGM wrote it up.

Arctic air poured into central New York on gusty west winds producing lake effect snow squalls across the eastern Finger Lakes and western Mohawk Valley, and scattered snow showers elsewhere. Nezr zero visibility in snow squalls forced the closure of many roads throughout central and southern Oneida County, including part of the New York State Thruway from Verona to Utica. About 4,000 customers in northern Onondaga County were left without power due to the gusty winds. A young woman was killed and one person injured in Tompkins County when the car they were riding in crashed on Route 79 in the town of Ithaca during whiteout conditions in a snow squall. The highest snowfall totals were found across Oneida County, where 8 inches of snow fell in Rome and Forestport, 9 inches in Point Rock, and 10 inches in Ava.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Oneida

When
March 3, 2:00 PM EST to March 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Oneida forecast zone
Coordinates
43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Onondaga

When
March 3, 2:00 PM EST to March 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Onondaga forecast zone
Property damage
$8,000
Coordinates
43.006, -76.195 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Tompkins

When
March 3, 2:00 PM EST to March 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Tompkins forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
42.452, -76.474 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Madison

When
March 3, 2:00 PM EST to March 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Coordinates
42.913, -75.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Oneida

When
March 3, 2:00 PM EST to March 4, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Oneida forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heavy Snow, Tompkins1996-03-0318FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, March 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5545849, 5545850, 5545851, 5545852, 5545853.