Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 27 to 29, 2017

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 27 to 29, 2017
Start: 2017-01-27T07:00
End: 2017-01-29T22:00
Location: New York

January 27 to 29, 2017 · NWS ALY · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

As an upper level trough moved over upstate New York, very cold temperatures aloft moved across the region. This allowed for the formation of bands of lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario.

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.

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Fire, smoke and dust
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The toll

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

As an upper level trough moved over upstate New York, very cold temperatures aloft moved across the region. This allowed for the formation of bands of lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario. Bands of snow developed during the morning across on Friday, January 27th and impacted parts of the western Mohawk Valley and southwestern Adirondacks.

Through the day on Friday, January 27th, the snow bands slowly lifted northward into the western and central Adirondacks, where they continued into the overnight hours and intermittently throughout the entire weekend.

By Sunday evening, up to two feet of snow fell across parts of northern Herkimer and western Hamilton Counties. Around a foot of snow fell in central Herkimer County, with just a few inches across southern parts of Herkimer County.

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 Jan 26, 4:23 PM EST, 14 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 4:23 PM EST, 14 hours 37 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 26, 4:30 PM EST, 14 hours 30 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Southern Herkimer

When: January 27, 7:00 AM EST to January 28, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Herkimer forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Herkimer

When: January 27, 10:00 AM EST to January 29, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Herkimer forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.420, -74.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Hamilton

When: January 27, 10:00 AM EST to January 29, 10:00 PM EST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.661, -74.497 (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 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, January 2017

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: 672658, 672494, 672495.