Lake-Effect Snow in New York, November 17 to 18, 2011

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in New York, November 17 to 18, 2011
Start: 2011-11-17T22:00
End: 2011-11-18T10:00
Location: New York

November 17 to 18, 2011 · NWS BUF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

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.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $8,000
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 BUF wrote it up.

The 2011-2012 lake effect snow season opened with this marginal event. Snowfall totals were not exceptional, however, as often happens with the first storm of the season, it did cause several traffic over portions of Oswego County off Lake Ontario. Wind gusts in excess of 40 mph were observed at Oswego Coast Guard on Lake Ontario. The snow began during the afternoon of the 17th with a brief period of lightning and thunder. The heaviest snowfall totals were located across western Oswego County near Fulton where 12.5 inches was reported. The upper ridge built quickly across Lake Ontario ending the lake effect snow Friday afternoon.

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 Nov 17, 6:20 PM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 17, 6:20 PM EST, 3 hours 40 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 6:21 PM EST, 3 hours 39 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 17, 4:25 PM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Nov 17, 6:15 PM EST, 3 hours 45 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Nov 17, 6:51 PM EST, 3 hours 9 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Oswego

When: November 17, 10:00 PM EST to November 18, 10:00 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (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

Every storm in New York in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, November 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 355017.