Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 10 to 13, 2013

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 10 to 13, 2013
Start: 2013-12-10T19:00
End: 2013-12-13T09:00
Location: New York

December 10 to 13, 2013 · NWS BUF · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

The first major lake effect event of the 2013-2014 seasoned occurred over the areas east of Lakes Erie and Ontario beginning Tuesday, December 10. |Off Lake Erie, a band of lake effect snow developed over the Chautauqua Ridge where as much as a half foot fell by afternoon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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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Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $114,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 first major lake effect event of the 2013-2014 seasoned occurred over the areas east of Lakes Erie and Ontario beginning Tuesday, December 10. The long-lived event started with lake effect developing during Tuesday morning and moving north and south across areas east of the lakes several times over the two-day event.|Off Lake Erie, a band of lake effect snow developed over the Chautauqua Ridge where as much as a half foot fell by afternoon. The band lifted into the Buffalo Metro area then settled back to the south later in the evening. During Wednesday, the band became quite intense with an extremely sharp edge on its northern boundary, cutting across Hamburg, East Aurora, and Elma. Snowfall rates reached three to five inches an hour in the most intense portion of the band. The New York State Thruway was closed for several hours between Dunkirk and Hamburg. The band shifted south by evening and continued to snow throughout the night in the Boston Hills. Specific snowfall reports included: 35 inches at Colden, 26 inches at Wales and Boston, 15 inches at Dunkirk, and 8 inches at Stafford. |Off Lake Ontario, a similar story played out with an east-west oriented band developing and quickly Tuesday morning, dropping a half foot over upslope regions of the Tug Hill by Tuesday afternoon. The band intensified significantly Tuesday night, remaining in place with little movement through Wednesday night. Snowfall amounts of three to four feet fell in a 24- to 36-hour period. Specific snowfall reports included: 44 inches at Redfield and Constableville, 20 inches at Bennetts Bridge, 18 inches at Mannsville and 16 inches at Lowville.

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 Dec 10, 6:51 PM EST, 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 10, 6:51 PM EST, 9 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 10, 5:30 AM EST, 13 hours 30 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 10, 1:48 PM EST, 5 hours 12 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Dec 10, 3:43 PM EST, 3 hours 17 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Dec 10, 3:48 PM EST, 3 hours 12 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Dec 10, 5:43 PM EST, 1 hour 17 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Dec 10, 5:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Dec 10, 6:03 PM EST, 57 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Oswego

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 13, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Jefferson

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Lewis

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Chautauqua

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage: $12,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Cattaraugus

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Cattaraugus forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Wyoming

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Wyoming forecast zone
Property damage: $12,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.702, -78.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Erie

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Erie

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $16,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Genesee

When: December 10, 7:00 PM EST to December 11, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Genesee forecast zone
Property damage: $8,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 43.001, -78.194 (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 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, December 2013

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: 490852, 490854, 490856, 490859, 490860, 490862, 490863, 490865, 490866.