Lake-Effect Snow in New York, November 17 to 19, 2014

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in New York, November 17 to 19, 2014
Start: 2014-11-17T23:00
End: 2014-11-19T12:00
Location: New York

November 17 to 19, 2014 · NWS BUF · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.0 million
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.

Cold air crossing the relatively warmer waters of Lake Ontario resulted in lake effect snows. East of Lake Ontario, a lake band developed south of Watertown Monday (17) night, then drifted north across the city and to Harrisville. Winds gusts were mostly in the 40 to 50 mph with a peak gust to 55 mph at Watertown, producing blizzard conditions at times. By Tuesday night the band settled south over the Tug Hill Plateau, then quickly moved north Wednesday morning. Storm totals were highly variable, with snow amounts generally ranging between one and two feet in the hardest hit areas. Specific reports included: 22 inches in Philadelphia, 16 inches in Redfield, Beaver Falls and Theresa, 15 inches in Harrisville and Lowville, and 14 inches in Carthage.|This event combined with the lake effect snow event following the next couple of days qualified the area for a Federal Disaster Declaration.

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 Nov 17, 10:30 PM EST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 17, 10:30 PM EST, 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 10:36 PM EST, 24 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 17, 7:22 PM EST, 3 hours 38 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
722 PM EST MON NOV 17 2014

NYZ001-010>012-085-180145-
ERIE NY-GENESEE NY-NIAGARA NY-WYOMING NY-
722 PM EST MON NOV 17 2014

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW MOVING INTO PORTIONS OF WESTERN NEW YORK...

* AT 717 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  MULTIPLE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BANDS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SNOWFALL RATES
  OF UP TO ONE INCH PER HOUR...AND VISIBILITY OF A HALF MILE OR LESS.
  THESE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BANDS WERE LOCATED ACROSS CENTRAL AND
NORTHERN ERIE COUNTY AS WELL AS GENESEE AND WYOMING COUNTIES AND ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO LIFT EAST-NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

THIS INCLUDES THE NEW YORK THRUWAY BETWEEN EXITS 48 AND 57.

IF TRAVELING ACROSS THE AREA...SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW FOR EXTRA TIME TO
REACH YOUR DESTINATION. WATCH OUT FOR SLICK SPOTS ON AREA ROADWAYS.
IN ADDITION...BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

DRIVING WITHIN THIS SNOW BAND WILL BE DIFFICULT AT TIMES WITH SNOW
COVERED AND SLIPPERY ROADWAYS AND POOR VISIBILITY AT TIMES. IF
TRAVELING ACROSS THE AREA SLOW DOWN AND BE PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY
CHANGING ROAD AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.

LAT...LON 4319 7905 4312 7852 4312 7794 4255 7807
      4254 7857 4274 7890 4267 7907 4271 7904
      4271 7899 4279 7886 4294 7892 4299 7903
      4306 7901 4307 7908

WOOD

Special weather statement, Nov 17, 8:42 PM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Nov 17, 10:18 PM EST, 42 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1018 PM EST MON NOV 17 2014

NYZ010>012-019-020-085-180445-
CATTARAUGUS NY-CHAUTAUQUA NY-ERIE NY-GENESEE NY-WYOMING NY-
1018 PM EST MON NOV 17 2014

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE AREA...

* AT 1009 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR
INDICATED   AN INTENSIFYING LAKE EFFECT SNOW BAND CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR...REDUCING
VISIBILITY OF A QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. THE LAKE EFFECT
SNOW BAND CURRENTLY RUNS ALONG A LINE RUNNING FROM SILVER CREEK TO
LEROY.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW BANDS INCLUDE...
  SILVER CREEK...
  EDEN...
  HAMBURG...
  EAST AURORA...
  BENNINGTON...
  ALEXANDER...
  BATAVIA...

THIS INCLUDES THE NEW YORK THRUWAY BETWEEN EXITS 48 AND 59.

* LIGHTNING AND A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER WILL BE POSSIBLE.

DRIVING WITHIN THIS SNOW BAND WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT WITH SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND VERY POOR VISIBILITY. IF TRAVELING ACROSS THE AREA
ALLOW FOR PLENTY OF EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION.

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...BE PREPARED BY HAVING AN EMERGENCY KIT...EXTRA
BLANKETS AND WARM CLOTHING IN THE EVENT THAT YOUR VEHICLE HAS
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS OR GETS STUCK. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FULLY CHARGED
CELL PHONE.

LAT...LON 4237 7954 4250 7935 4256 7916 4269 7906
      4271 7899 4279 7886 4286 7888 4313 7801
      4270 7799 4236 7952

WOOD

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Oswego

When: November 17, 11:00 PM EST to November 19, 9:00 AM EST
Where: Oswego forecast zone
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 43.464, -76.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Jefferson

When: November 17, 11:00 PM EST to November 19, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 43.999, -76.052 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Lewis

When: November 17, 11:00 PM EST to November 19, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
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

Every storm in New York in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, November 2014

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: 550171, 550172, 550173.