New York, 2004

Cold in New York, January 15 to 16, 2004

January 15 to 16, 2004 · NWS BGM · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

A deep low pressure system in southeast Canada combined with a large area of high pressure in the province of Ontario Canada to create northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph across the area. The northwest winds brought more arctic air to the region with temperatures dropping to below zero.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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
$220,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

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 BGM wrote it up.

A deep low pressure system in southeast Canada combined with a large area of high pressure in the province of Ontario Canada to create northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph across the area. The northwest winds brought more arctic air to the region with temperatures dropping to below zero. The wind and cold dropped wind chill values to 20 to 40 below zero. Some of the high temperatures during the 14th and 15th in the Syracuse and Utica areas were below zero. Many schools were closed due to the extreme cold. The cold air also caused problems with cars and buses starting. There were scattered instances of pipes freezing at residences and businesses.

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 Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 15, 10:45 AM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 15, 10:45 AM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 15, 3:17 AM EST, 8 hours 43 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Madison

When
January 15, 12:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.913, -75.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Oneida

When
January 15, 12:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Oneida forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Onondaga

When
January 15, 12:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Onondaga forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
43.006, -76.195 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Oneida

When
January 15, 12:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Oneida forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Chenango

When
January 15, 3:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Chenango forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.494, -75.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cortland

When
January 15, 3:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Cortland forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.595, -76.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Delaware

When
January 15, 3:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Delaware forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.198, -74.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Otsego

When
January 15, 3:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Otsego forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.634, -75.033 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Cayuga

When
January 15, 3:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Cayuga forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Broome

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Broome forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.160, -75.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Chemung

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Chemung forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.141, -76.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Schuyler

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Schuyler forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.394, -76.875 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Seneca

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Seneca forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.781, -76.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Steuben

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Steuben forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.268, -77.384 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sullivan

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Sullivan forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
41.716, -74.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Tioga

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Tioga forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.170, -76.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Tompkins

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Tompkins forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.452, -76.474 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Yates

When
January 15, 8:00 PM EST to January 16, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Yates forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
42.633, -77.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5382845, 5382846, 5382847, 5382852, 5382842, 5382843, 5382844, 5382848, 5382851, 5382840, 5382841, 5382849, 5382850, 5382853, 5382854, 5382855, 5382856, 5382857.