Heavy Snow, Southern Erie
- When
- December 13, 8:50 AM EST to 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Erie forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, December 13 to 15, 2004
The first lake effect event of the 2004-05 winter season began off Lake Erie Monday morning the 13th on a strong westerly flow with the heaviest snow falling between 4AM and Noon over the Boston Hills. The activity gradually shifted south across the western southern tier of New York during the evening.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $7,000
- 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.
The first lake effect event of the 2004-05 winter season began off Lake Erie Monday morning the 13th on a strong westerly flow with the heaviest snow falling between 4AM and Noon over the Boston Hills. The activity gradually shifted south across the western southern tier of New York during the evening. As the winds shifted to northwest, lake snows developed off Lake Ontario late Monday and early Tuesday (the 14th) and continued through early Wednesday morning before shutting down. Specific snowfall totals off Lake Erie included: Stockton 24"; Sinclairville 20"; Perrysburg 19"; Boston 14"; Yorkshire 13", and Warsaw 11". Off Lake Ontario, reported snowfall totals included: Marion 12"; Williamson 9"; and West Monroe and Phoenix 8".
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Chautauqua
- When
- December 13, 11:15 AM EST to December 14, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wyoming
- When
- December 13, 3:44 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus
- When
- December 13, 6:00 PM EST to December 14, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cattaraugus forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wayne
- When
- December 14, 5:00 PM EST to December 15, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Cayuga
- When
- December 14, 10:00 PM EST to December 15, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Cayuga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Oswego
- When
- December 14, 10:55 PM EST to December 15, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- 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
- Winter Storm in Ohio, December 13 to 14, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 13 to 14, 2004
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 13 to 15, 2004
- Heavy Snow in West Virginia, December 13 to 14, 2004
- High Wind in Oregon, December 13, 2004
- Winter Storm in Michigan, December 13 to 14, 2004
- Winter Storm in Indiana, December 13 to 14, 2004
- Dense Fog in Utah, December 13 to 14, 2004
More
Every storm in New York in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2004
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: 5429162, 5429163, 5429164, 5429165, 5429166, 5429167, 5429168.