Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 12 to 13, 2013

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 12 to 13, 2013
Start: 2013-12-12T12:00
End: 2013-12-13T18:30
Location: New York

December 12 to 13, 2013 · NWS BUF · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

|Off Lake Erie, lake effect snow lifted north across the Buffalo metro area on Thursday December 12 during the rush hour commute. The Buffalo Airport received a quick 6 for this event while areas to the north and west received up to a foot before the band moved south generally remaining in place through Friday.

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.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $58,000
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.

The second lake effect event of the season occurred on the heels of the first.|Off Lake Erie, lake effect snow lifted north across the Buffalo metro area on Thursday December 12 during the rush hour commute. The Buffalo Airport received a quick 6 for this event while areas to the north and west received up to a foot before the band moved south generally remaining in place through Friday. The hardest hit areas included northwest Cattaraugus, northern Chautauqua, and southern and central Erie Counties. Specific snowfall amounts included: 27 inches at Perrysburg, 23 inches at Glenwood, 22 inches at Warsaw, 14 inches at Dunkirk and 8 inches at Marilla.|Off Lake Ontario, a strong lake band developed and intensified just north of Watertown during the morning of 12th. Later in the afternoon, the band moved south back over the Tug Hill region and remained in place through daybreak Friday morning. Finally the band dropped south across Oswego county and dissipated during the morning as an arctic dry airmass settled into the region. The heaviest hit areas received four to six feet of snow. Specific reports included: 23 inches at Copenhagen, 22 inches at Redfield, 21 inches at Highmarket, and 17 inches at Lowville.

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, Jefferson

When: December 12, 12:00 PM EST to December 13, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $7,000
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Lewis

When: December 12, 12:00 PM EST to December 13, 11:00 AM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Property damage: $17,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 43.785, -75.449 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Chautauqua

When: December 12, 12:00 PM EST to December 13, 6:30 PM EST
Where: Chautauqua forecast zone
Property damage: $9,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.303, -79.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Cattaraugus

When: December 12, 12:00 PM EST to December 13, 6:30 PM EST
Where: Cattaraugus forecast zone
Property damage: $9,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.249, -78.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Wyoming

When: December 12, 12:00 PM EST to December 13, 6:30 PM EST
Where: Wyoming forecast zone
Property damage: $9,000
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 12, 12:00 PM EST to December 13, 6:30 PM EST
Where: Southern Erie forecast zone
Property damage: $7,000
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.758, -78.780 (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: 490868, 490870, 490871, 490872, 490874, 490875.