New York, 2002

Winter Storm in New York, March 26, 2002

March 26, 2002 · NWS ALY · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A low pressure area deepened as it tracked just to the lee of the Appalachians in both Pennsylvania and New York on March 26. This storm had a copious supply of moisture associated with it.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$62,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 ALY wrote it up.

A low pressure area deepened as it tracked just to the lee of the Appalachians in both Pennsylvania and New York on March 26. This storm had a copious supply of moisture associated with it. Cold air, damned on the east side of the mountains, held its ground, which produced an extended interval of frozen and freezing precipitation across Warren, Herkimer, northern Hamilton as well as the elevated portions of Fulton, Schoharie and Schenectady counties. Around an inch of water equivalent accumulated in these areas, with the precipitation falling mostly as a mixed bag of snow, sleet and even freezing rain. This scenario resulted in about a half to an inch of ice buildup across portions of these counties. The build up of ice, exasperated by 35 mph winds, brought down many trees and some power lines in these areas. In addition, North Creek in Warren County reported 6.5 inches of snow, followed by sleet and freezing rain. At the height of the storm, over 17,000 customers lost electrical power, more than 7,000 in Fulton County alone.

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 Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 26, 3:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 26, 3:30 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
330 PM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

.DISC...TEMPS ONLY COMING UP VERY SLOWLY SO WILL NEED TO EXTEND WSW
FOR ALL BUT HDSNVLY/LITCHFIELD CTY INTO THIS EVE. STILL LOOKING FOR
TEMPS TO RISE ABV FRZG ALL ZNS. 18Z MESOETA 1000-850MB THKNS ABV
1300M ALL BUT EXTREME NERN FRINGE FA BY 03Z. NEXT PROB WILL BE HVY
RAIN.  FORTUNATELY ALL STREAMS IN GOOD SHAPE DUE TO DRY ANTECEDENT
CONDS. HAVE CHC TSTMS FOR SRN HLF FA LTR TNGT. LOOKS LIKE FROPA MAY
BE AROUND 09Z ERN NY.

HYDROLOGIC STATUS...RFC GUID SUGGEST DECENT RISES ON AREA RIVERS DUE
TO UPCOMING +RA.  EAGLE BRDG/GAYLORDSVILLE GET WITH ABT 2 FT OF FS.
WL HAV TO WATCH GIVEN RFC QPF MAY BE UNDERDONE.  NRN RIVERS DO NOT
SHOW AS MUCH RISE AND MAY BE REALISTIC IF SNOWPACK ABSORBS RA.

.ALY...WINTER WX ADVSRY THIS EVE MHK VLY...CATSKILLS...BERKSHIRE
CTY...SRN ADIRONDACKS...LAKE GEORGE/SARATOGA RGN...SRN VT.

GG

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 26, 4:59 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute before
NEW YORK STATEWIDE POLICE INFORMATION NETWORK
TROOP C
0458PM     TUE MAR 26 2002
#2 0000002 000
CBSO WLSR QHQT QTRF APTS WAPT
01686    FILE 28   BROOME CO 911 CENTER    NY003013P         MAR 26-02
TO       NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
         ATTENTION SEMO DUTY OFFICER

                          WINTER STORM REPORT

COUNTY(S) AFFECTED: BROOME

LOCATION (INCLUDING TOWN AND NEAREST ROAD): TOWNS IN EASTERN HALF OF COUNTY

HEAVY SNOWFALL INFORMATION:
      SNOWFALL BEGAN:   :    M  ST LOCAL TIME
 SNOWFALL SINCE 7 AM:     INCHES
ESTIMATED VISIBILITY:        MILE(S)
ESTIMATED WIND SPEED:     MPH
ROADS/AREAS AFFECTED:

  SNOWFALL LAST HOUR:     INCHES
          SNOW ENDED:   :    M  ST LOCAL TIME

OTHER WINTER PERCIPITATION INFORMATION:
FREEZING RAIN:
( ) - NO ACCUMULATION     ( ) - DANGEROUS ON ROADS
(X) - ACCUMULATION TREES  (X) - TREES DAMAGED
(X) - ACC. POLES/WIRES    (X) - POLES/WIRE DAMAGED
IF ACCUMULATION, NUMBER OF INCHES: 1/4 INCH
DETAILS IF DAMAGE: ICE BUILDUP ON TREES AND POWERLINES FROM FREEZING
PRECIPITATION IS CAUSING NUMEROUS TREES TO COME DOWN ONTO WIRES AND SOME WIRES
TO COME DOWN
RAIN/SNOW MIXED:
(X) - NO ACCUMULATION      ( ) - ACCUMULATION -      INCHES

AREAS REPORTING FREEZING RAIN OR RAIN/SNOW MIXED:
TOWNS IN EASTERN HALF OF COUNTY

SLEET REPORTED AT:

OTHER REMARKS (INCLUDING DEATHS OR INJURIES):

SOME CELLAR FLOODINGS AND BLOCKED SLUICE PIPES FROM RAIN RUNOFF

AUTH PHONE #: 607 778-1208

AUTH EMER MGR MICHAEL F ASWAD             CHELLIS     4-54 PM

OPER - BADIA,WENDY L                  1657

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Warren

When
March 26, 6:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.561, -73.846 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Herkimer

When
March 26, 6:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Northern Herkimer forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hamilton

When
March 26, 6:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.661, -74.497 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Schenectady

When
March 26, 6:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Western Schenectady forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.818, -74.059 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Schoharie

When
March 26, 6:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Schoharie forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.588, -74.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fulton

When
March 26, 6:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Fulton forecast zone
Property damage
$22,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.114, -74.422 (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, 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: 5284895, 5284896, 5284897, 5284898, 5285008, 5285009.