Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 4 to 5, 2006

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 4 to 5, 2006
Start: 2006-12-04T02:00
End: 2006-12-05T14:00
Location: New York

December 4 to 5, 2006 · NWS BUF · 8 events in 7 counties and zones

Cold air built across the region following the passage of a deep low pressure system. |Off Lake Erie, a strong band of snow lifted north into the City of Buffalo right at the rush hour.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: $80,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

Cold air built across the region following the passage of a deep low pressure system. |Off Lake Erie, a strong band of snow lifted north into the City of Buffalo right at the rush hour. The band moved through quickly but dropped 2-3 in an hour, snarling traffic for hours. Winds backed all the way to south and shoved the band into the Niagara Peninsula before another trough crossed and moved the band back south across the area later in the evening. The quick movement limited accumulations to 4-6 inches over most of the area. The activity settled south into ski country and the western southern tier Tuesday morning but was intermittent and became cellular, limiting accumulations to 4 to 8 inches. It then lifted north to Buffalo's South Towns in early evening before shutting down in the warm advection. Reported total snowfall amounts included: 9 inches at Little Valley; 8 inches as Dunkirk; and 7 inches at Lancaster and East Aurora.|Off Lake Ontario, an intense band of snow lifted into the Watertown area before settling south all the way to Oswego county midday Tuesday before lifting north fast across the area Tuesday evening until warm advection shut it down by midnight. Snowfall amounts of 14 inches in North Osceola, and 8-10 inches in oswego, Pulaski and Watertown were measured.

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 3, 10:04 PM EST, 3 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 3, 10:04 PM EST, 3 hours 56 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 3, 2:54 PM EST, 11 hours 6 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 3, 10:37 PM EST, 3 hours 23 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

8 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Lake-Effect Snow, Oswego

When: December 4, 2:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Lewis

When: December 4, 2:00 AM EST to 12:00 PM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Erie

When: December 4, 6:00 PM EST to December 5, 7:30 AM EST
Where: Northern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When: December 4, 6:00 PM EST to December 5, 7:30 AM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Oswego

When: December 4, 9:00 PM EST to December 5, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Chautauqua

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Cattaraugus

When: December 4, 10:00 PM EST to December 5, 2:00 PM EST
Where: Cattaraugus forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Jefferson

When: December 4, 11:00 PM EST to December 5, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lake-Effect Snow: Heavy snow in bands downwind of a large lake as cold air crosses warmer water.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, December 2006

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: 9263, 9264, 9265, 9267, 9268, 9270, 9271, 9269.