Winter Storm, Cortland
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Cortland forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.595, -76.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in New York, February 1, 2002
A strong intensifying storm in the lower Mississippi Valley on January 31st moved slowly northeast to be in New York late on February 1st. The storm pumped abundant moisture north ahead of it.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 12
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 BGM wrote it up.
A strong intensifying storm in the lower Mississippi Valley on January 31st moved slowly northeast to be in New York late on February 1st. The storm pumped abundant moisture north ahead of it. The precipitation started as snow then changed over to sleet, freezing rain, then finally rain. Changes occurred from west to east. Across Oneida and Madison Counties 3 to 6 inches of snow and sleet fell before changing over to freezing rain. Most other locations had two inches or less of snow and sleet. By 10 AM on January 31st, most locations except the Mohawk Valley had changed over to freezing rain. Steady rain, at times moderate, fell during the daytime. By evening the Catskills through the Mohawk Valley still had freezing rain but it had lessened in intensity. Across most of the remaining area it was just rain. The freezing rain lessened in coverage and intensity overnight before finally ending late morning on the first. Ice accumulations were up to half an inch. Total water equivalents were over one inch from the Finger Lakes east to the western Mohawk Valley and northern sections of the Susquehanna Region.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 9:25 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 9:25 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 925 PM EST THU JAN 31 2002 WILL DROP WARNINGS FROM ALL COUNTIES BUT ONEIDA/MADISON/ONONDAGA AND SOUTHERN CAYUGA. TEMPS HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID AND UPPER 30S ACROSS MUCH OF CWA THIS EVENING EXCEPT OVR NRN ZONES WHERE PERSISTENT EASTERLY FLW CONTINUES ALONG MOHAWK VLY. WITH MORE PRECIP HEADING FOR NRN REGIONS AS EVIDENT ON LOCAL RADARS WILL CONTINUE WARNINGS OVERNIGHT. ANOTHER AREA OF CONCERN IS WESTERN CATSKILLS WHERE MSV STILL REPORTING 28/27. PRECIP OVR THIS REGION SPOTTY AND EXPECT IT TO REMAIN SO OVERNIGHT SO WILL ONLY MENTION SPOTTY FZRA IN ZONES. FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING LOOKS INTERESTING FOR WIND POTENTIAL WITH STRONG RISE/FALL COUPLET AS SYSTEM PULLS OUT. DECENT SUBSIDENCE AND WELL ALIGNED FLW FAVORS STRONG WIND SCENARIO BUT DONT EXPECT WARNING CRITERIA WINDS. MIDSHIFT MAY WANT TO CONSIDER AN ADVISORY. .BGM...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT NYZ009-017-018-036-037. RRM
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Delaware
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Delaware forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.198, -74.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Madison
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Madison forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.913, -75.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Oneida
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Oneida forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Onondaga
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Onondaga forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.006, -76.195 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Otsego
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Otsego forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.634, -75.033 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Southern Oneida
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Oneida forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Sullivan
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Sullivan forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.716, -74.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Tioga
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Tioga forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.170, -76.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Tompkins
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Tompkins forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.452, -76.474 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Broome
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Broome forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.160, -75.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Chenango
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
- Where
- Chenango forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.494, -75.612 (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
- High Wind in New York, February 1, 2002
- Avalanche in Colorado, February 1, 2002
- High Wind in Ohio, February 1, 2002
- High Wind in New York, February 1, 2002
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 1, 2002
- High Wind in Michigan, February 1, 2002
- Strong Wind in Virginia, February 1, 2002
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 1, 2002
- Winter Storm in New York, February 1, 2002
- Winter Storm in Vermont, February 1, 2002
- Flooding in New York, February 1 to 2, 2002
- Winter Storm in Vermont, February 1, 2002
More
Every storm in New York in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, February 2002
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: 5281123, 5281124, 5281125, 5281126, 5281127, 5281128, 5281129, 5281130, 5281131, 5281132, 5281950, 5281951.