Heavy Snow, Lewis
- When
- December 22, 12:45 PM EST
- Where
- Lewis forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, December 22 to 23, 2000
This lake effect event began as some of the coldest air of the season crossed the Great Lakes. Meandering snow squall produced snowfall rates of two inches an hour.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
- $103,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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.
This lake effect event began as some of the coldest air of the season crossed the Great Lakes. Meandering snow squall produced snowfall rates of two inches an hour. The activity began off Lake Erie during the early morning hours of the 22nd as a cold front crossed the region. The band set up across the Buffalo southtowns with schools across those areas forced to close. During the afternoon, the band lifted north into the city of Buffalo and adjacent suburbs. The band drifted south during the evening hours. A similar scenario developed off Lake Ontario during the mid to late morning hours, then drifted south in the late evening. Specific reports off Lake Erie: 14" at West Seneca, 12" at Hamburg, 11" at Perrysburg and 9" at Stockton. Off Lake Ontario: 24" at Hooker, 19" at Lowville; 16" at Oswego, and 15" at North Rose.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Erie
- When
- December 22, 1:05 PM EST
- Where
- Erie forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Jefferson
- When
- December 22, 2:15 PM EST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Oswego
- When
- December 23, 12:30 AM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wayne
- When
- December 23, 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus
- When
- December 23, 10:15 AM EST
- Where
- Cattaraugus forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Chautauqua
- When
- December 23, 10:20 AM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Property damage
- $8,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (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
- Extreme Cold in Illinois, December 22, 2000
- Cold in South Carolina, December 22 to 23, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 22 to 23, 2000
- Extreme Cold in Virginia, December 22 to 23, 2000
- High Surf in California, December 22 to 25, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 22 to 23, 2000
- Extreme Cold in Maryland, December 22 to 23, 2000
- Heavy Snow in New Jersey, December 22, 2000
- Extreme Cold in West Virginia, December 22 to 23, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 22 to 23, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Maryland, December 22, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Delaware, December 22, 2000
More
Every storm in New York in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2000
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: 5169019, 5169020, 5169021, 5169022, 5169023, 5169024, 5169025.