New York, 1997

Heavy Snow in New York, March 6, 1997

March 6, 1997 · NWS BUF · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Low pressure deepened rapidly as it passed across Pennsylvania and drew cold air southward changing rain over the area to heavy, wet snow. Totals ranged from six to nine inches near Lake Ontario to five to seven inches across metro Buffalo and the western Finger Lakes.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
$81,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

Low pressure deepened rapidly as it passed across Pennsylvania and drew cold air southward changing rain over the area to heavy, wet snow. Totals ranged from six to nine inches near Lake Ontario to five to seven inches across metro Buffalo and the western Finger Lakes. Numerous accidents were blamed on the heavy snow which fell after several weeks of mild, spring-like conditions.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Niagara

When
March 6, 7:05 AM EST
Where
Niagara forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
43.173, -78.691 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Orleans

When
March 6, 7:30 AM EST
Where
Orleans forecast zone
Property damage
$8,000
Coordinates
43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When
March 6, 7:43 AM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage
$6,000
Coordinates
43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When
March 6, 8:05 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, Erie

When
March 6, 8:52 AM EST
Where
Erie forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Coordinates
42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Genesee

When
March 6, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Genesee forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wyoming

When
March 6, 11:00 AM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Property damage
$8,000
Coordinates
42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ontario

When
March 6, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Ontario forecast zone
Property damage
$8,000
Coordinates
42.853, -77.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Livingston

When
March 6, 1:05 PM EST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Property damage
$8,000
Coordinates
42.728, -77.775 (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, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5592286, 5592287, 5592288, 5592289, 5592290, 5592291, 5592292, 5592293, 5592294.