Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Herkimer
- When
- February 20, 4:30 PM EST to February 21, 5:00 AM EST
- Where
- Northern Herkimer forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow in New York, February 20 to 21, 2009
The combination of cold air pouring across the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, in addition to orographic enhancement led to locally intense snow squalls across portions of northern Herkimer County, beginning Friday afternoon February 20th, and ending early Saturday morning February 21st. Isolated snowfall amounts of up to 8 inches fell within the most persistent snow bands, which…
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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 ALY wrote it up.
The combination of cold air pouring across the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, in addition to orographic enhancement led to locally intense snow squalls across portions of northern Herkimer County, beginning Friday afternoon February 20th, and ending early Saturday morning February 21st.
Isolated snowfall amounts of up to 8 inches fell within the most persistent snow bands, which occurred near Old Forge.
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 Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 19, 6:46 PM EST, 21 hours 44 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 6:46 PM EST, 21 hours 44 minutes before
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</html>The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, February 20 to 21, 2009
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 20 to 28, 2009
- High Wind in Kansas, February 20, 2009
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Illinois, February 20 to 21, 2009
- High Wind in Texas, February 20 to 21, 2009
- High Wind in Oklahoma, February 20, 2009
- Winter Weather in Missouri, February 20 to 21, 2009
- High Wind in Alaska, February 20 to 21, 2009
- High Wind in Alaska, February 20, 2009
- Heavy Snow in Missouri, February 20 to 21, 2009
- Wildfire in Texas, February 20 to 21, 2009
More
Every storm in New York in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, February 2009
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: 153624.