Heavy Snow in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004

Name: Heavy Snow in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004
Start: 2004-03-16T18:00
End: 2004-03-17T07:00
Location: New York

March 16 to 17, 2004 · NWS BGM · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Late on the 15th into the 16th, low pressure in the plains moved east as it intensified and became better organized. A stationary front went from this low east to North Carolina.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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: $340,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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.

Late on the 15th into the 16th, low pressure in the plains moved east as it intensified and became better organized. A stationary front went from this low east to North Carolina. Moisture was spread north into the area where cold air was near the surface. Snow started between 5 and 9 AM on the 16th. The snow had some effect on the morning commute in the central southern tier. The low was off the Delmarva Peninsula the evening of the 16th before moving northeast further off the coast. The snow was at its heaviest from the late morning into the afternoon on the 16th. This snow intensity hindered drivers getting home during the afternoon and early evening. The snow tapered off to scattered snow showers the morning of the 17th. The snow was a widespread 8 to 11 inches.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Steuben

When: March 16, 6:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Steuben forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.268, -77.384 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Yates

When: March 16, 6:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Yates forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.633, -77.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Chemung

When: March 16, 7:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Chemung forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.141, -76.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Schuyler

When: March 16, 7:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Schuyler forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.394, -76.875 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Seneca

When: March 16, 7:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Seneca forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.781, -76.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Cayuga

When: March 16, 7:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Cayuga forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Tioga

When: March 16, 8:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Tioga forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.170, -76.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Tompkins

When: March 16, 8:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Tompkins forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.452, -76.474 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Broome

When: March 16, 9:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Broome forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.160, -75.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Chenango

When: March 16, 9:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Chenango forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.494, -75.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cortland

When: March 16, 9:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Cortland forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.595, -76.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Onondaga

When: March 16, 9:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Onondaga forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.006, -76.195 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Delaware

When: March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Delaware forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.198, -74.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Madison

When: March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.913, -75.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Oneida

When: March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Oneida forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.242, -75.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Otsego

When: March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Otsego forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.634, -75.033 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Oneida

When: March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Oneida forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.242, -75.436 (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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, March 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: 5387160, 5387163, 5387071, 5387156, 5387157, 5387158, 5387161, 5387162, 5387070, 5387072, 5387073, 5387154, 5387074, 5387075, 5387076, 5387155, 5387159.