New York, 2013

Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 31, 2013

December 31, 2013 · NWS ALY · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A band of lake effect snow off Lake Ontario affected portions of the western Adirondacks on the late afternoon and evening hours of Tuesday, December 31st. The band of lake-effect snow produced snow rates in excess of two inches per hour at times, leading to very low visibility and difficult travel conditions across northern Herkimer County.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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 ALY wrote it up.

A band of lake effect snow off Lake Ontario affected portions of the western Adirondacks on the late afternoon and evening hours of Tuesday, December 31st. The band of lake-effect snow produced snow rates in excess of two inches per hour at times, leading to very low visibility and difficult travel conditions across northern Herkimer County. The band of snow began to weaken and shift away from the area by the late evening hours. By the time the snow ended, over 9 inches of snow fell in the Old Forge area.

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 Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 12:30 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 12:30 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 4:18 AM EST, 11 hours 42 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, Northern Herkimer

When
December 31, 4:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Northern Herkimer forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
43.420, -74.962 (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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 484372.