Heavy Snow, Oswego
- When
- December 20, 4:43 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in New York, December 20, 2005
Lake effect snow developed off Lake Ontario in a westerly flow of arctic air. Another foot of snow fell over the Tug Hill.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Lake effect snow developed off Lake Ontario in a westerly flow of arctic air. Another foot of snow fell over the Tug Hill. North Osceola reported the most at fourteen inches.
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 Buffalo, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 20, 3:15 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 3:15 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 20, 5:31 AM EST, 11 hours 12 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 531 AM EST TUE DEC 20 2005 NYZ001>005-010>014-019>021-085-211045- NIAGARA-ORLEANS-MONROE-WAYNE-NORTHERN CAYUGA-NORTHERN ERIE- GENESEE-WYOMING-LIVINGSTON-ONTARIO-CHAUTAUQUA-CATTARAUGUS- ALLEGANY-SOUTHERN ERIE- 531 AM EST TUE DEC 20 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND THE ADJOINING WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...LAKE ONTARIO... AND THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BUFFALO CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUF NYZ006-211045- OSWEGO- 531 AM EST TUE DEC 20 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND THE ADJOINING WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...LAKE ONTARIO... AND THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ...LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 AM EST WEDNESDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 AM EST WEDNESDAY. OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOWS THIS MORNING WILL BECOME STEADIER AND HEAVIER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE 2 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS MOST OF THE COUNTY TODAY WITH ANOTHER 2 TO 4 INCHES ANTICIPATED FOR TONIGHT. THE FRESH SNOW WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH...ESPECIALLY OVER THE TUG HILL WHERE WINDS COULD APPROACH 40 MPH. THIS WILL RESULT IN SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITY AT TIMES. IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW THE WEATHER CAN VARY FROM LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IN NARROW BANDS TO CLEAR SKIES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN ROAD AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER RADIO AND TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. SNOW SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOWFALL REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BUFFALO CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUF LEZ020-040-041-061-LOZ042>045-062>065-SLZ022-024-211045- UPPER NIAGARA RIVER AND BUFFALO HARBOR- LAKE ERIE NEARSHORE WATERS FROM RIPLEY TO DUNKIRK- LAKE ERIE NEARSHORE WATERS FROM DUNKIRK TO BUFFALO- LAKE ERIE OPEN WATERS FROM RIPLEY TO BUFFALO- LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM THE NIAGARA RIVER TO HAMLIN BEACH- LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM HAMLIN BEACH TO SODUS BAY- LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM SODUS BAY TO MEXICO BAY- LAKE ONTARIO NEARSHORE WATERS FROM MEXICO BAY TO THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER- LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM THE NIAGARA RIVER TO HAMLIN BEACH- LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM HAMLIN BEACH TO SODUS BAY- LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM SODUS BAY TO MEXICO BAY- LAKE ONTARIO OPEN WATERS FROM MEXICO BAY TO THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER- SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER FROM CAPE VINCENT TO OGDENSBURG- SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER FROM OGDENSBURG TO SAINT REGIS- 525 AM EST TUE DEC 20 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND THE ADJOINING WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...LAKE ONTARIO... AND THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT GALE FORCE WINDS EXPECTED TODAY LAKE ONTARIO. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES TODAY FOR ALL OF THE NEW YORK NEARSHORES OF LAKES ERIE AND ONTARIO. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TODAY FOR THE BUFFALO HARBOR AND UPPER NIAGARA RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BUFFALO CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUF NYZ007-008-211045- JEFFERSON-LEWIS- 531 AM EST TUE DEC 20 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND THE ADJOINING WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...LAKE ONTARIO... AND THE SAINT LAWRENCE RIVER. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BUFFALO CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUF TMA
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Lewis
- When
- December 20, 7:30 PM EST to 8:45 PM EST
- Where
- Lewis forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.785, -75.449 (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 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2005
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: 5488029, 5488030.