Winter Storm in New York, March 31, 1997

Name: Winter Storm in New York, March 31, 1997
Start: 1997-03-31T08:00
End: 1997-03-31T23:59
Location: New York

March 31, 1997 · NWS ALY · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $7.8 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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 ALY wrote it up.

On March 31 and April 1, a classic late season nor'easter tracked from the Chesapeake Bay area northeast to central coastal New Jersey then slowly out to sea. This system produced rain across much of eastern New York during the morning hours of March 31. The rain changed to heavy wet snow by early afternoon. Heavy snow fell over eastern New York from the Mohawk Valley southward. Snowfall amounts were highly elevation dependent. Snowfall exceeded 2 feet in many mountain locations. Some specific snowfall totals included: 15 inches at the Albany Airport, 26 inches at Berne in Albany County, 9 inches at Rotterdam in Schenectady County, 11 inches at Poestenkill in Rensselaer County, 10 inches at Saratoga Springs in Saratoga County, 28 inches at Gilboa in Schoharie County, 11 inches at Copake in Columbia County, 37 inches at East Jewett in Greene County, 20 inches at Stormville in Dutchess County and 23 inches at Slide Mountain in Ulster County. At Phonecia in the Hudson Valley in Ulster County, only one inch of snow fell! The wet snow brought down many trees and power lines causing widespread power outages and many road closures. Power outages were most widespread in Greene, Dutchess and Ulster Counties. Many areas remained without power for several days. A State of Emergency was declared in Greene, Schoharie and Dutchess Counties. In Greene County 30,000 customers lost power. In northern Dutchess County, 12 transmission lines, 50 utility poles and 12 substations were affected by the storm. Approximately 30,000 customers lost power in the northern part of the county. Many roads across Dutchess County were blocked by fallen trees. In the Capital District, 50,000 customers lost power.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Southern Herkimer

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Herkimer forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Montgomery

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 42.902, -74.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Saratoga

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Saratoga forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 43.107, -73.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Schoharie

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Schoharie forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 42.588, -74.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Schenectady

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Schenectady forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Schenectady

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Eastern Schenectady forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Saratoga

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Saratoga forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 43.107, -73.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Albany

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Albany forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.600, -73.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Albany

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Eastern Albany forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.600, -73.974 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Rensselaer

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Rensselaer forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.711, -73.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Rensselaer

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Eastern Rensselaer forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 42.711, -73.510 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Greene

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Greene forecast zone
Property damage: $1.0 million
Coordinates: 42.277, -74.123 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Greene

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Eastern Greene forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 42.277, -74.123 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Columbia

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Columbia forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 42.250, -73.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Columbia

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Eastern Columbia forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 42.250, -73.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Ulster

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Ulster forecast zone
Property damage: $1.0 million
Coordinates: 41.888, -74.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Dutchess

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Western Dutchess forecast zone
Property damage: $750,000
Coordinates: 41.765, -73.743 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Dutchess

When: March 31, 8:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Eastern Dutchess forecast zone
Property damage: $750,000
Coordinates: 41.765, -73.743 (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

Every storm in New York in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5592678, 5592679, 5592680, 5592681, 5592682, 5592683, 5592684, 5592685, 5592686, 5592687, 5592688, 5592689, 5592690, 5592691, 5592692, 5592693, 5592694, 5592695.