A strong area of low pressure tracked across the central Great Lakes, into southern Ontario and then into southwest Quebec on December 29th. Its strong occluded front crossed the area during the morning into the early afternoon hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 19 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BUF wrote it up.
A strong area of low pressure tracked across the central Great Lakes, into southern Ontario and then into southwest Quebec on December 29th. Its strong occluded front crossed the area during the morning into the early afternoon hours. Strong to damaging winds began to impact portions of the western and north central New York area as the front crosses the area and continued as cold air filtered into the region. Several reports were received of trees that were downed due to the strong winds and wind gusts of 60 to 79 mph were observed at area airports.
The colder air and repeated passages of troughs and cold fronts for the remainder of the New Years week developed into a prolonged lake effect snow event, bringing at least light snow to the entire area. Moderate to heavy lake effect snow at times, combined with breezy conditions, prompted the issuance of Winter Storm Warnings for many counties in the Buffalo County Warning Area. Lake effect bands shifted north to south and south to north with passing troughs and cold fronts during the week, leaving a large footprint of significant snowfall. Snow and breezy conditions impacted New Years Eve celebrations across the areas as well. The hardest hit areas for snowfall were mainly east to southeast of both Lake Erie & Ontario. Some snow amounts from the entire event were as high as 4 to 5 feet off of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Some notable wind gusts include: 79 mph at the Buffalo International Airport, 72 mph at the Skyway in Downtown Buffalo, and several other reports of wind gusts of 65 to 70 mph at western New York Mesonet sites.
Some of the notable snowfall amounts from this event include: 59.0 inches in Lacona, 56.5 inches in Richland, 51.5 inches in Colden, 44.0 inches in Glenwood, 34.5 inches in Cattaraugus, 33.6 inches in Silver Creek, 31.0 inches in Highmarket, 29.2 inches in Arcade, 25.5 inches in Batavia and 20.5 inches in Copenhagen.
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 Dec 28, 9:14 PM EST, 6 hours 46 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter storm, 8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Measured gust of 66 MPH at KIAG ASOS.|Tree downed on Townline Road in North Tonawanda.|Portions of a roof and facade blown off a building on Center Street in Lewiston.
At Rochester airport.
Several reports of trees downed across Erie County in addition to the measured gust of 79 MPH at KBUF.
Batavia Mesonet.
Warsaw Mesonet.
Multiple observations of wind gusts of 60 to 69 MPH at C-Man station, Mesonet and ASOS near Lake Erie in Chautauqua County.
Partial roof blown off of residence on Adams Road in Springville. |Huge tree downed on Putnam Drive in Angola. |Tree downed on Warner Hill Road in South Wales.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in New York in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, December 2025
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: 1308251, 1308252, 1308253, 1308254, 1308256, 1308257, 1308258, 1308260, 1308239, 1308240, 1308241, 1308243, 1308235, 1308237, 1308238, 1308244, 1308245, 1308246, 1308247.