Winter Storm, Niagara
- When
- March 14, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Niagara forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in New York, March 14, 1997
Deepening low pressure over Missouri tracked northeast and brought a mix of ice and snow to the area. Several inches of the icy slush coated trees and power lines, the weight of which downed the trees and lines.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
- $196,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 16
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.
Deepening low pressure over Missouri tracked northeast and brought a mix of ice and snow to the area. Several inches of the icy slush coated trees and power lines, the weight of which downed the trees and lines. Various school districts throughout the area cancelled classes because of the treacherous conditions. Countless automobile accidents, some with injuries, were blamed on the storm. Power outages were scattered across the region. In Rochester, a Boeing 727 charter slid off the runway while landing in freezing rain. The airport was shut down for more than two and a half hours before another runway could be cleared.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
16 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Erie
- When
- March 14, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Erie forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Chautauqua
- When
- March 14, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Cattaraugus
- When
- March 14, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cattaraugus forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Allegany
- When
- March 14, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Allegany forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.257, -78.028 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Orleans
- When
- March 14, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Orleans forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Genesee
- When
- March 14, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Genesee forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wyoming
- When
- March 14, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Monroe
- When
- March 14, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Coordinates
- 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wayne
- When
- March 14, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Livingston
- When
- March 14, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.728, -77.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Ontario
- When
- March 14, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ontario forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.853, -77.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Cayuaga
- When
- March 14, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Cayuaga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Oswego
- When
- March 14, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jefferson
- When
- March 14, 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Coordinates
- 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Lewis
- When
- March 14, 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Lewis forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 14, 1997
- Tornado in South Carolina, March 14, 1997
- Winter Storm in New York, March 14, 1997
- Winter Storm in New York, March 14, 1997
- Storm Surge in Pennsylvania, March 14 to 15, 1997
- Tornado in South Carolina, March 14, 1997
- Flooding in Michigan, March 14, 1997
- Flooding in Indiana, March 14, 1997
- Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, March 14, 1997
- Ice Storm in Michigan, March 14, 1997
- Ice Storm in Pennsylvania, March 14, 1997
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 14, 1997
More
Every storm in New York in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5592295, 5592296, 5592297, 5592298, 5592299, 5592300, 5592301, 5592302, 5592303, 5592304, 5592305, 5592306, 5592307, 5592308, 5592309, 5592310.