Heavy Snow, Erie
- When
- December 25, 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- Erie forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, December 25, 2003
An intense lake effect snow band developed around mid-morning Christmas day. The band dropped snow at an inch or more an hour for a few hours, broke up some, then reintensified before settling south into the ski country by late afternoon where it remained until midnight then dissipated.
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
- $30,000
- 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.
An intense lake effect snow band developed around mid-morning Christmas day. The band dropped snow at an inch or more an hour for a few hours, broke up some, then reintensified before settling south into the ski country by late afternoon where it remained until midnight then dissipated. Snowfall amounts were focused in two areas: 8-14" of snow fell across the ridges from Perrysburg to Arcade and 4-8" across a narrow strip across the City of Buffalo to the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.
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, Chautauqua
- When
- December 25, 8:30 PM 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)
Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus
- When
- December 25, 8:45 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
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in California, December 25, 2003
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 25 to 27, 2003
- High Wind in California, December 25, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 25, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, December 25 to 31, 2003
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 25 to 27, 2003
- Winter Storm in Idaho, December 25 to 27, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, December 25 to 26, 2003
- Flooding in Vermont, December 25 to 26, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 25 to 26, 2003
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 25 to 27, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 25 to 26, 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: 5328324, 5328325, 5328326.