Lake-Effect Snow, Oswego
- When
- December 26, 4:00 PM EST to December 27, 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Oswego forecast zone
- Property damage
- $9,000
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 26 to 27, 2013
The fifth lake effect storm of the season was very similar to previous in that lake effect snows followed a general synoptic snowfall. Lake effect snow that developed off Lake Ontario developed across the Tug Hill region.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $39,000
- 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 BUF wrote it up.
The fifth lake effect storm of the season was very similar to previous in that lake effect snows followed a general synoptic snowfall. Lake effect snow that developed off Lake Ontario developed across the Tug Hill region. The snow fell at the rate of two- to three-inches per hour at its peak. Specific snowfall amounts included: 20 inches at Lorraine; 16 inches at Highmarket; 12 inches at Hooker and 8 inches at Lacona.
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 26, 1:25 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 26, 1:25 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
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</html>The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 lake-effect snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Lake-Effect Snow, Jefferson
- When
- December 26, 4:00 PM EST to December 27, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Reported by
- Social Media
- Coordinates
- 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lake-Effect Snow, Lewis
- When
- December 26, 4:00 PM EST to December 27, 11:00 AM 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)
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 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 490949, 490951, 490952.