New York, 2003

Heavy Snow in New York, January 11, 2003

January 11, 2003 · NWS BUF · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A sharp cold front crossed western and central New York late on the 10th. Lake effect snow developed overnight in the cold, westerly flow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
$130,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 western and central New York late on the 10th. Lake effect snow developed overnight in the cold, westerly flow. The activity began in a fairly broad area at first covering southern Erie and Wyoming counties off Lake Erie and southern Jefferson and northern Lewis counties off Lake Ontario. Very intense single bands set up during the morning of the 11th. Accumlations of two to four inches an hour were common off Lake Erie and three to five inches an hour off Lake Ontario. The snows weakened during the evening of the 11th. Specific snowfall reports received were: off Lake Erie--Perrysburg 26"; Sinclairville 22"; Bennington 20"; and off Lake Ontario--Highmarket and North Osceola 51 inches.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Lewis

When
January 11, 3:00 AM EST
Where
Lewis forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Oswego

When
January 11, 6:55 AM EST
Where
Oswego forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus

When
January 11, 7:23 AM EST
Where
Cattaraugus forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jefferson

When
January 11, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Erie

When
January 11, 5:25 PM EST
Where
Erie forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wyoming

When
January 11, 5:30 PM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Chautauqua

When
January 11, 6:50 PM EST
Where
Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
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

More

Every storm in New York in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 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: 5338642, 5338643, 5338644, 5338645, 5338646, 5338647, 5338648.