New York, 2011

Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 5 to 6, 2011

January 5 to 6, 2011 · NWS BGM · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A low pressure system sitting over eastern Canada brought persistent northwest flow to central New York. Cold air crossing Lake Ontario brought heavy lake effect snow to the snow-belt areas.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 BGM wrote it up.

A low pressure system sitting over eastern Canada brought persistent northwest flow to central New York. Cold air crossing Lake Ontario brought heavy lake effect snow to the snow-belt areas. Snowfall totals ranged from 8 to 12 inches across Madison, Chenango and Delaware 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 Binghamton, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 5, 6:41 AM EST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 5, 6:41 AM EST, 3 hours 19 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Madison

When
January 5, 10:00 AM EST to January 6, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.913, -75.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from 8 to 12 inches across the area.

Lake-Effect Snow, Chenango

When
January 5, 10:00 AM EST to January 6, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Chenango forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.494, -75.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from 8 to 12 inches across the area.

Lake-Effect Snow, Delaware

When
January 5, 10:00 AM EST to January 6, 4:00 AM EST
Where
Delaware forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
42.198, -74.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from 8 to 12 inches across the area.

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 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 2011

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 278443, 278444, 278445.