New York, 2009

Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 8 to 9, 2009

January 8 to 9, 2009 · NWS BUF · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Cold air sweeping in behind a departing low pressure system produced lake effect snows beginning during the evening of the 7th. Off Lake Erie, over a foot of snow fell over the higher elevations during the morning and midday hours of the 8th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$60,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 BUF wrote it up.

Cold air sweeping in behind a departing low pressure system produced lake effect snows beginning during the evening of the 7th. Off Lake Erie, over a foot of snow fell over the higher elevations during the morning and midday hours of the 8th. Specific snowfall reports included: Sinclairville 28 inches; Ellicottville 27 inches; Ashville 25 inches; Randolph 20 inches; Chafee 13 and Warsaw and Jamestown 8 . The activity off Lake Ontario was much weaker and spread out. Wraparound snows Wednesday night (7th) evolved into west to northwest bands of lake effect Thursday and Thursday night. Off Lake Ontario, 11 inches fell in Volney, 10 inches at Highmarket and Hooker and 7 inches in Oswego.

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 Buffalo, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 7, 11:56 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 11:56 PM EST, 1 hour 34 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Wyoming

When
January 8, 1:30 AM EST to January 9, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Wyoming forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When
January 8, 1:30 AM EST to January 9, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Chautauqua

When
January 8, 1:30 AM EST to January 9, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Cattaraugus

When
January 8, 1:30 AM EST to January 9, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Cattaraugus forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Oswego

When
January 8, 4:46 AM EST to January 9, 6:00 AM EST
Where
Oswego forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Jefferson

When
January 8, 4:46 AM EST to January 9, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
43.999, -76.052 (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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 151882, 151883, 151884, 151885, 151886, 151887.