Heavy Snow in New York, March 22 to 23, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in New York, March 22 to 23, 2002
Start: 2002-03-22T11:30
End: 2002-03-23T07:00
Location: New York

March 22 to 23, 2002 · NWS BUF · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A sharp cold front crossed the area on Thursday the 21st. As the cold air built into the region lake effect snows developed southeast of Lakes Erie and Ontario.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: $43,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

A sharp cold front crossed the area on Thursday the 21st. As the cold air built into the region lake effect snows developed southeast of Lakes Erie and Ontario. Off Lake Ontario, a very intense band extended across northern Cayuga, Oswego, and southern Lewis counties. The band lifted north a bit during the evening into southern Jefferson and Lewis Counties. Storm amounts ranged from one to two feet over the Tug Hill of Oswego and Lewis Counties. Off Lake Erie, the event was somewhat less pronounced, though nevertheless impressive considering the time of year. It peaked overnight Friday to Saturday over northern Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties where up to a foot fell.

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 Buffalo, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 22, 10:14 AM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 22, 10:14 AM EST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1014 AM EST FRI MAR 22 2002

SATELLITE AND RADAR SHOW ACTIVITY OFF LK ERIE MORE CELLULAR IN NATURE
WITH CELLS OF HEAVIER SNOW WHILE BAND OFF LK ONT IS MORE ORGANIZED.
WILL KEEP MOST WRNGS GOING THAT ARE IN EFFECT. WILL DROP ADVSRY FOR
LIVINGSTON COUNTY BUT CONTINUE KEEP ADVSRY GOING FOR ALLEGANY COUNTY
AND ALSO CONTINUE WRNG THROUGH MID AFTERNOON FOR WAYNE AND NORTHERN
CAYUGA CNTYS. REPORT OF 2 INCHES AN HOUR NR FAIR HAVEN IN NORTHERN
CAY COUNTY. PROFILES SHOW BAND OFF LK ONT SHLD SLOWLY LIFT NORTH DURG
THE AFTN SO WILL KEEP WRNGS GOING FOR LEWIS AND SOUTHERN JEFFERSON
CNTYS ALTHOUGH IT SHLD BE MID-LT AFTN BEFORE BAND GETS INTO SOUTHERN
JEFF CNTY.

TEMPS/WNDS FOR THE AFTN LOOK OK. NO CHANGES TO LTR PERIODS OF THE
FCST.

WILL RUN ZNS SHORTLY.

EARLIER AFD FOLLOWS...

*******

LAKE EFFECT ACTIVITY HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME ORGANIZING THIS MORNING
...DUE TO SOME DIRECTIONAL SHEAR...DRY AIR AND WEAK SUBSIDENCE.
HOWEVER...ACTIVITY SHOULD BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED OVER THE NEXT FEW
HOURS AS THESE PARAMETERS DECREASE AND MORE FAVORABLE FETCH DEVELOPS.

MAIN ACTIVITY SO FAR THIS MORNING HAS BEEN DUE TO FETCH OFF OF LAKE
HURON AND GEORGIAN BAY. STREAMERS PRODUCING FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES FROM
BUFFALO NORTHWARD AND EASTWARD TO ROCHESTER.

OFF LAKE ERIE...KBUF RADAR BEGINNING TO SHOW SIGNS THAT MULTIPLE
BANDING OFF LAKE ERIE TRYING TO ORGANIZE INTO A SINGLE BAND
ORIENTATION. 00Z ETA BUFKIT DOES SUGGEST THAT THIS WILL TAKE PLACE
OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS ACROSS THE WESTERN SOUTHERN TIER AS LOW LEVEL
FLOW BACKS TO A 270-280 FLOW BY 12Z. WE CONTINUE TO EXPECT A WELL
ORGANIZE LAKE BAND TO FORM WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS OVER THE
WESTERN SOUTHERN TIER UNDER EXTREME LAKE INSTABILITY. FLOW WILL BACK
JUST SLIGHTLY MORE DURING THE DAY TODAY TO A 260-270 DEGREE
FLOW...THIS WILL ALLOW THE LAKE BAND TO DRIFT NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHERN
ERIE AND WYOMING COUNTIES...BUT ALSO KEEP IT OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS
OF CHAUTAUQUA AND CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES. QUESTION STILL REMAINS
WHETHER LAKE BAND CAN MAINTAIN A STEADY STATE STRUCTURE OR BECOME
MORE CELLULAR AS THE DAY PROGRESS. BELIEVE COLD AIR IS DEEP ENOUGH TO
ALLOW BAND TO MAINTAIN ITSELF TO SOME DEGREE. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS
HOWEVER MAY BE SLIGHTLY LIMITED FROM PREVIOUS THINKING...BUT STILL
SHOULD GET A FEW REPORTS IN WARNING CRITERIA. INTENSITY OF LAKE BAND
SHOULD INCREASE EARLY TONIGHT AS FLOW REMAINS GENERALLY 260-270
DEGREES. 850 TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO WARM UNDER WARM AIR ADVECTION
REGIME...BUT STILL REMAINING COLD ENOUGH TO CONTINUE THREAT OF LAKE
EFFECT. FLOW BACKING TO 240 DEGREES AFTER MIDNIGHT HELPING TO PUSH
BAND INTO THE BUFFALO METRO AREA...HOWEVER 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL
CONTINUE TO WARM...THEREFORE LIMITING ACCUMULATION THREAT FOR THE
METRO AREA.

OFF LAKE ONTARIO...LAKE BANDS OVER EASTERN NIAGARA...ORLEANS INTO
EASTERN MONROE COUNTY BEING GENERATED MAINLY FROM FETCH OFF OF
GEORGIAN BAY. THIS BAND WILL LIFT ACROSS LAKE ONTARIO COUNTIES THIS
MORNING. MM5 AND BUFKIT SUGGESTING LAKE BAND WILL ESTABLISH ITSELF
ACROSS WAYNE AND NORTHERN CAYUGA FOR A FEW HOURS THIS MORNING...
BEFORE LIFTING INTO OSWEGO COUNTY. BAND SHOULD HOLD TOGETHER AS IT
DRIFTS SLIGHTLY NORTHWARD INTO NORTHERN OSWEGO...SOUTHERN JEFFERSON
AND LEWIS COUNTIES AS FLOW BECOMES ALMOST DUE WESTERLY ACROSS THE
LENGTH OF LAKE. BAND SHOULD REALLY INTENSIFY TONIGHT WITH LOSS OF
DIURNAL CONDITIONS. THE TUG HILL COULD EASILY SEE A FOOT AND A HALF
OR MORE OF NEW SNOW BY SATURDAY MORNING.

.BUF...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT NYZ019-020
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY CONTINUES THIS AFTERNOON NYZ021
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT NYZ010-012
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY DISCONTINUED NYZ013
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING THROUGH MID AFTERNOON NYZ004-005
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT NYZ006
       LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT NYZ007-008

JJP

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Oswego

When: March 22, 11:30 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Cayuga

When: March 22, 11:50 AM EST
Where: Northern Cayuga forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus

When: March 22, 6:15 PM 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, Lewis

When: March 23, 12:15 AM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Chautauqua

When: March 23, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
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

Every storm in New York in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, March 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: 5285365, 5285366, 5285367, 5285368, 5285369.