Heavy Snow, Chautauqua
- When
- December 31, 7:15 AM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, December 31, 1997
A cold west to northeast flow across the warm waters of Lakes Erie and Ontario produced lake effect snow squalls along parts of the southeast shores of the lakes. Snowfall amounts ranged from eight to ten inches during the 24-hour storm.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $38,000
- 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 BUF wrote it up.
A cold west to northeast flow across the warm waters of Lakes Erie and Ontario produced lake effect snow squalls along parts of the southeast shores of the lakes. Snowfall amounts ranged from eight to ten inches during the 24-hour storm.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Oswego
- When
- December 31, 8:07 AM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Cayuga
- When
- December 31, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Cayuga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $6,000
- Coordinates
- 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wayne
- When
- December 31, 10:15 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Coordinates
- 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Monroe
- When
- December 31, 10:45 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Property damage
- $6,000
- Coordinates
- 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 1997
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: 5620426, 5620427, 5620428, 5620429, 5626381.