New York, 2006

Lake-Effect Snow in New York, March 15, 2006

March 15, 2006 · NWS BGM · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Unseasonably cold air moved into Upstate New York behind a cold front and combined with a series of upper level disturbances to bring heavy lake effect snow east of Lake Ontario. Snow showers across the southern Tug Hill Plateau organized into heavier lake effect snow bands during the night of the 14th and morning of the 15th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

Unseasonably cold air moved into Upstate New York behind a cold front and combined with a series of upper level disturbances to bring heavy lake effect snow east of Lake Ontario. Snow showers across the southern Tug Hill Plateau organized into heavier lake effect snow bands during the night of the 14th and morning of the 15th. Snow totals ranged from 8 to 16 inches. The lake effect snow moved north of the area around midday on the 15th.

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 Mar 14, 3:05 PM EST, 9 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 14, 3:05 PM EST, 9 hours 55 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 14, 3:51 PM EST, 9 hours 9 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Oneida

When
March 15, 1:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Oneida forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.242, -75.436 (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

More

Every storm in New York in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, March 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5497595.