The lake effect event began as an upslope situation, as wraparound moisture pinwheeled around a departing storm system with snows increasing during the afternoon of the 19th. The snows amounted to several inches during Thursday evening before evolving into more pure lake effect overnight and most of Friday.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BUF wrote it up.
The lake effect event began as an upslope situation, as wraparound moisture pinwheeled around a departing storm system with snows increasing during the afternoon of the 19th. The snows amounted to several inches during Thursday evening before evolving into more pure lake effect overnight and most of Friday. The activity was most pronounced off the open waters of Lake Ontario and settled south Friday night as winds veered. The activity wound down on Saturday as high pressure built into the region. Totals topped two feet over portions of Oswego county. Specific snowfall amounts included: 35 inches at Redfield; 29 inches at Lacona; 27 inches at West Monroe; 25 inches at Palermo; 24 inches at Fulton; 22 inches at Barnes Corners; and 18 inches at Fair Haven.
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 Feb 19, 12:52 PM EST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, February 2009
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: 156728, 156729, 156730.