Heavy Snow, Allegany
- When
- March 16, 2:30 PM EST to March 17, 1:00 AM EST
- Where
- Allegany forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.257, -78.028 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004
A low pressure system strengthened over the mid-Mississippi valley, moved to the Virginias, then tracked northeast along the Atlantic coast. The late season storm produced ten to twenty inches of heavy, wet snow across much of the region.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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
- $3.4 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 15
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 low pressure system strengthened over the mid-Mississippi valley, moved to the Virginias, then tracked northeast along the Atlantic coast. The late season storm produced ten to twenty inches of heavy, wet snow across much of the region. The snow began across the western southern tier around daybreak on the 16th and during the morning hours across the Niagara frontier and western Finger Lakes region. The snow continued, heavy at times, throughout the day and then began to taper off at midnight. Many schools and businesses heeded warnings, closed on the 16th and remained closed on the 17th. The storm was blamed for numerous automobile accidents, including several fatalities. Specific storm totals included: 23" at Nunda; 19" at Hamburg; 16" at Ellicottville and West Seneca; 15" at Cheektowaga, Walworth and Warsaw; 14" at Dansville, Portageville, South Dayton and South Wales; 13" at Forestville, Amherst, Clarence and Livonia; 12" at North Tonawanda, Elma, Lancaster and Frewsburg; 11" at Randolph, Depew, Alden, Grand Island, Fairport and Palmyra; 10" at Scottsville, Stockton and Constantia; 9" at Lockport, West Monroe, Pittsford, Webster, Springwater and Jamestown; and 8" at Niagara Falls and East Oswego.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
15 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Chautauqua
- When
- March 16, 3:15 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Chautauqua forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Ontario
- When
- March 16, 4:00 PM EST to March 17, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ontario forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.853, -77.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Livingston
- When
- March 16, 4:40 PM EST to March 17, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Livingston forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.728, -77.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Genesee
- When
- March 16, 6:01 PM EST to March 17, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Genesee forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.001, -78.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Erie
- When
- March 16, 6:10 PM EST to March 17, 4:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Erie forecast zone
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Orleans
- When
- March 16, 6:35 PM EST to March 17, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Orleans forecast zone
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.251, -78.189 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wayne
- When
- March 16, 7:00 PM EST to March 17, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.066, -76.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southern Erie
- When
- March 16, 7:35 PM EST to March 17, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Southern Erie forecast zone
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Cattaraugus
- When
- March 16, 9:55 PM EST to March 17, 12:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cattaraugus forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wyoming
- When
- March 16, 10:00 PM EST to March 17, 2:00 AM EST
- Where
- Wyoming forecast zone
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Monroe
- When
- March 16, 10:40 PM EST to March 17, 6:00 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe forecast zone
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.165, -77.636 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Cayuga
- When
- March 17, 2:15 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Cayuga forecast zone
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.010, -76.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Oswego
- When
- March 17, 5:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Niagara
- When
- March 17, 7:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Niagara forecast zone
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.173, -78.691 (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
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, March 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Tornadoes in Florida, March 16, 2004
- Winter Storm in Ohio, March 16, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 16, 2004
- Winter Storm in New York, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 16 to 17, 2004
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 16 to 17, 2004
More
Every storm in New York in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5388493, 5388494, 5388495, 5388496, 5388497, 5388583, 5388584, 5388585, 5388586, 5388587, 5388588, 5388589, 5388590, 5388591, 5388592.