Heavy Snow, Orleans
- When
- December 12, 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- Orleans forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, December 12, 2003
Multiple lake effect snow bands developed in a cold northwest flow following a strong cold front. Off Lake Erie, the activity was concentrated along higher elevations of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Wyoming counties.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- $35,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
Multiple lake effect snow bands developed in a cold northwest flow following a strong cold front. Off Lake Erie, the activity was concentrated along higher elevations of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Wyoming counties. Snow totals from the day and a half event included 12" in Ellicottville, 8" in South Dayton and Arcade, and 7" in Arkwright. Off Lake Ontario, a long band of snow off Lake Huron was enhanced by Lake Ontario and extended across the lakeshore areas of Niagara, Orleans and Monroe counties. Snowfall totaled 13" in Greece, 9" in Albion and 7" in Webster.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Monroe
- When
- December 12, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus
- When
- December 12, 8:00 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)
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
- Avalanche in Washington, December 12, 2003
- Flooding in Maine, December 12, 2003
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, December 12 to 13, 2003
- Winter Storm in Kansas, December 12 to 13, 2003
- Heavy Rain in Oregon, December 12 to 14, 2003
- Winter Storm in Kansas, December 12 to 13, 2003
- Winter Storm in Kansas, December 12 to 13, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 12 to 14, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, December 12 to 13, 2003
- Winter Storm in Arkansas, December 12 to 13, 2003
- Flooding in Oregon, December 12 to 14, 2003
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 12 to 14, 2003
More
Every storm in New York in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2003
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5331195, 5331196, 5331197.