On January 13, low pressure tracked across northern Lake Ontario, dragging a strong cold front across the area. The cold air changed rain into snow early in the day, then enhancement of the snow from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie caused further snow accumulation for several counties of Central New York in the afternoon, lasting into the predawn hours of January 14.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 BGM wrote it up.
On January 13, low pressure tracked across northern Lake Ontario, dragging a strong cold front across the area. The cold air changed rain into snow early in the day, then enhancement of the snow from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie caused further snow accumulation for several counties of Central New York in the afternoon, lasting into the predawn hours of January 14. Snow amounts in the affected area were generally 5 to 10 inches, but a few spots got just past a foot.
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 13, 3:46 AM EST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 315 AM EST FRI JAN 13 2012 NYZ023>025-044>046-055>057-062-PAZ038>040-043-044-047-048-072-140815- SCHUYLER-CHEMUNG-TOMPKINS-CORTLAND-CHENANGO-OTSEGO-TIOGA-BROOME- DELAWARE-SULLIVAN-BRADFORD-SUSQUEHANNA-NORTHERN WAYNE-WYOMING- LACKAWANNA-LUZERNE-PIKE-SOUTHERN WAYNE- 315 AM EST FRI JAN 13 2012 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK...SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WIND ADVISORY. BESIDES THE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...PERSISTENT SNOW SHOWERS...ESPECIALLY THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON...WILL BRING ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES...PARTICULARLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NYZ009-015>018-022-036-037-140815- NORTHERN ONEIDA-YATES-SENECA-SOUTHERN CAYUGA-ONONDAGA-STEUBEN- MADISON-SOUTHERN ONEIDA- 315 AM EST FRI JAN 13 2012 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AREAS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW ARE EXPECTED DOWNWIND OF LAKE ONTARIO EARLY SATURDAY. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE...IN MORE PERSISTENT BANDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow from a low pressure system, which became enhanced by lake effect snow, accumulated a widely ranging 4 to 12 inches in Tompkins County. This includes 11.6 inches in Groton, 8.1 inches in Slaterville Springs, and 7.4 inches in Etna.
Snow from a low pressure system, which became enhanced by lake effect snow, accumulated 9 to 11 inches in northern Oneida County. This includes 10.9 inches 1 mile southeast of Point Rock, and 9.8 inches 2 miles south-southwest of Boonville.
Snow from a low pressure system, which became enhanced by lake effect snow, accumulated 7 to 13 inches in Onondaga County. This includes 13.3 inches 3 miles northeast of Baldwinsville, 13.2 inches at Liverpool, and 10.4 inches 3 miles east-southeast of Village Green.
Snow from a low pressure system, which became enhanced by lake effect snow, accumulated 5 to 7 inches in Southern Cayuga County. This includes 7.1 inches in Auburn, and 5 inches 2 miles west of Locke.
Snow from a low pressure system, which became enhanced by lake effect snow, accumulated 5 to 9 inches in Cortland County. This includes 9.2 inches in Willet, and 6.5 inches 1 mile northwest of Marathon.
Snow from a low pressure system, which became enhanced by lake effect snow, accumulated a widely ranging 4 to 11 inches in southern Oneida County. This includes 10.7 inches 1 mile east of Rome, 10.0 inches at Delta Dam, and 6.1 inches in New Hartford.
Snow from a low pressure system, which became enhanced by lake effect snow, accumulated a widely ranging 3 to 10 inches in Madison County. This includes 9.8 inches 1 mile south of Cazenovia, 7.2 inches 1 mile north-northeast of Oneida, and 8.1 inches 1 mile north-northwest of Nelson.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, January 2012
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: 360213, 360207, 360208, 360211, 360212, 360209, 360210.