Heavy Snow in New York, February 5 to 6, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in New York, February 5 to 6, 2003
Start: 2003-02-05T04:40
End: 2003-02-06T10:00
Location: New York

February 5 to 6, 2003 · NWS BUF · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

Lake effect snow squalls began late on the fourth following a frontal passage. The activity was focused on northern Oswego and Lewis counties initially and included thunder and lightning.

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: $36,000
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.

Lake effect snow squalls began late on the fourth following a frontal passage. The activity was focused on northern Oswego and Lewis counties initially and included thunder and lightning. The band drifted south during the fifth reaching the south shore of Lake Ontario during the morning then weakened as the flow became more northwesterly. The band redeveloped overnight and then lifted north as it weakened. Reported snowfall amounts included: Scriba 15"; Oswego 14"; Fulton 12"; and West Monroe and West Leyden 9".

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 Feb 4, 3:35 PM EST, 13 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 3:35 PM EST, 13 hours 5 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 4, 6:26 AM EST, 22 hours 14 minutes before

NYZ001>006-010>014-019>021-041315-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
626 AM EST TUE FEB 4 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW
YORK.

.DAY ONE...TODAY
A SHARP COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. SOUTHWEST...
THEN WEST WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 40 MPH WITH
OCCASIONAL GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH. THE HIGHEST WIND GUSTS WILL
OCCUR FROM THE BUFFALO AREA TO ROCHESTER. THE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY
DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

BANDS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL DEVELOP OFF LAKE ONTARIO TONIGHT AND
CONTINUE WEDNESDAY. ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FROM 4 TO 8
INCHES IN THE MOST PERSISTENT BANDS...MAINLY ACROSS OSWEGO COUNTY
AND THE TUG HILL PLATEAU. GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL PRODUCE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW ALONG WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES...AND
STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BUFFALO
CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING (LOWER CASE):
HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/BUF/.

TMA

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: February 5, 4:40 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lewis

When: February 5, 7:30 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, Oswego

When: February 5, 10:00 PM 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: February 5, 10:20 PM 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, Oswego

When: February 6, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: AIRPLANE PILOT
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5343187, 5343188, 5343189, 5343190, 5343191.