Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 21 to 22, 2021

Name: Lake-Effect Snow in New York, January 21 to 22, 2021
Start: 2021-01-21T19:00
End: 2021-01-22T12:51
Location: New York

January 21 to 22, 2021 · NWS ALY · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An elongated upper level low positioned over southern Canada allowed for persistent westerly flow into the southern Adirondacks. Pieces of upper energy moving through the flow resulted in a period of moderate to heavy lake effect snow from the evening of Thursday, January 21st through the morning of Friday, January 22nd, 2021.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
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Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

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 21, 6:52 PM EST, 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 6:52 PM EST, 8 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 21, 4:10 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 21, 1:04 PM EST, 5 hours 56 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 21, 1:40 PM EST, 5 hours 20 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

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

Lake-Effect Snow, Hamilton

When: January 21, 7:00 PM EST to January 22, 12:51 PM EST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.661, -74.497 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lake-Effect Snow, Northern Herkimer

When: January 21, 7:00 PM EST to January 22, 12:51 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)

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 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, January 2021

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 936721, 936723.