New York, 2002

Winter Storm in New York, January 31, 2002

January 31, 2002 · NWS BTV · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Low pressure over the Ohio valley Thursday evening, January 31st moved northeast into southern Canada during Friday, February 1st. Snow overspread the area during the afternoon of January 31st.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
$80,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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 BTV wrote it up.

Low pressure over the Ohio valley Thursday evening, January 31st moved northeast into southern Canada during Friday, February 1st. Snow overspread the area during the afternoon of January 31st. The snow mixed with sleet during the night of the 31st. The mixed precipitation continued into February 1st as freezing rain changing to rain. Snow accumulations were generally 4 to 10 inches with 1/8th to 1/4 of an inch of ice on top of the snow creating dangerous winter conditions. A few accumulation reports were: Peru (Clinton county), Saranac Lake (Franklin county) and Lake Placid (Essex county) all with 7 inches. In St Lawrence county, Gouverneur reported 10 inches.

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 Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 11:46 AM EST, 4 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 11:46 AM EST, 4 hours 14 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Southern Franklin

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Southern Franklin forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.593, -74.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern St. Lawrence

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Southern St. Lawrence forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.501, -75.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southwest Clinton

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Southwest Clinton forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.746, -73.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Essex

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Western Essex forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.117, -73.773 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Essex

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Eastern Essex forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.117, -73.773 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northeast Clinton

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Northeast Clinton forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.746, -73.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Franklin

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Northern Franklin forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.593, -74.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern St. Lawrence

When
January 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Northern St. Lawrence forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
44.501, -75.116 (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

More

Every storm in New York in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5279817, 5279818, 5279819, 5279820, 5280097, 5280098, 5280099, 5280100.