New York, 2020

Lake-Effect Snow in New York, December 26 to 27, 2020

December 26 to 27, 2020 · NWS ALY · 1 event in 1 county or zone

In the wake of the Christmas Day storm, cold air over the warm waters of Lake Ontario developed a band of lake-effect snow across northern portions of Herkimer County from Saturday, December 26 to Sunday, December 27. The heaviest of the band mainly affected forest areas well to the north of Route 28 and the town of Old Forge.

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.

In the wake of the Christmas Day storm, cold air over the warm waters of Lake Ontario developed a band of lake-effect snow across northern portions of Herkimer County from Saturday, December 26 to Sunday, December 27. The heaviest of the band mainly affected forest areas well to the north of Route 28 and the town of Old Forge. Observations from bordering counties within the band (Lewis and St. Lawrence) support snowfall totals of 10 and 16 inches across northwestern Herkimer County.

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 26, 7:00 AM EST to December 27, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Herkimer forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
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 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2020

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: 932202.