New York, 2008

Winter Weather in New York, December 21, 2008

December 21, 2008 · NWS BTV · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong upper atmospheric low pressure system moved from south central Canada to the Great Lakes during the night of December 20th into the morning of December 21st. At the surface, the primary low associated with this upper level feature moved into the Great Lakes and weakened on the 21st.

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
$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 BTV wrote it up.

A strong upper atmospheric low pressure system moved from south central Canada to the Great Lakes during the night of December 20th into the morning of December 21st. At the surface, the primary low associated with this upper level feature moved into the Great Lakes and weakened on the 21st. Meanwhile, a secondary coastal low developed off the Mid-Atlantic coast during the morning of the 21st and tracked into the Gulf of Maine during that evening.

Snow overspread northern New York by daybreak on the 21st and dissipated by evening. Snowfall accumulations of 4 to 6 inches were common across the Canadian border counties of New York.

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 21, 4:13 AM EST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 21, 4:13 AM EST, 1 hour 47 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 21, 3:36 AM EST, 2 hours 24 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

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Northern Franklin

When
December 21, 6:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Franklin forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.593, -74.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Northern St. Lawrence

When
December 21, 6:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Northern St. Lawrence forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
44.501, -75.116 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in New York in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 142622, 142623.