Winter Storm in New York, December 11 to 12, 2008

Name: Winter Storm in New York, December 11 to 12, 2008
Start: 2008-12-11T18:00
End: 2008-12-12T09:00
Location: New York

December 11 to 12, 2008 · NWS BTV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $20,000
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 BTV wrote it up.

An area of high pressure was located across New England and New York on the morning of December 11th. Meanwhile, complex low pressure that originated in the Mississippi River, traveled north along the Mid-Atlantic Coast during the morning of December 11th. This low quickly raced up the coast and was located over Long Island by the morning of December 12th and downeast Maine by the afternoon. This system tapped into mild, moist Atlantic air which then traveled above the colder air mass entrenched across the region.

Snow began across the Champlain Valley of New York during the evening of the 11th and briefly mixed with sleet, before precipitation ended as snow by late morning of the 12th. Snowfall accumulations in the Champlain Valley of New York were 4 to 8 inches with some sleet in Essex county.

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 Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 11, 4:25 PM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 11, 4:25 PM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 11, 4:41 AM EST, 13 hours 19 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
441 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008

NYZ026-027-087-120945-
NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-
441 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

LOW PRESSURE MOVING NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD
WILL SPREAD LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY TONIGHT
INTO FRIDAY MORNING. DUSTING TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED
ACROSS THE AREA DURING THIS TIME...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS TO NEAR 4
INCHES POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOW REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

NYZ028>031-VTZ001-002-120945-
EASTERN CLINTON-SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-
WESTERN CLINTON-GRAND ISLE-WESTERN FRANKLIN-
441 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 PM
EST FRIDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK AND
NORTHWEST VERMONT.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...
SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOW REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

NYZ034-035-VTZ003>009-016>018-120945-
WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-ORLEANS-ESSEX-WESTERN CHITTENDEN-
LAMOILLE-CALEDONIA-WASHINGTON-WESTERN ADDISON-EASTERN FRANKLIN-
EASTERN CHITTENDEN-EASTERN ADDISON-
441 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 PM
EST FRIDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK...CENTRAL
VERMONT...NORTHEAST VERMONT AND NORTHWEST VERMONT.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER STORM WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOW REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

VTZ010>012-019-120945-
ORANGE-WESTERN RUTLAND-WINDSOR-EASTERN RUTLAND-
441 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 1 PM
EST FRIDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL VERMONT AND SOUTHERN
VERMONT.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER STORM WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   WINTER STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
HOWEVER...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOW REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

JMG

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Eastern Clinton

When: December 11, 6:00 PM EST to December 12, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Clinton forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.746, -73.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Essex

When: December 11, 6:00 PM EST to December 12, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Essex forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 44.117, -73.773 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in New York in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, December 2008

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: 141021, 141022.