Record breaking amounts of 'lake affect' snow falls has hit areas of Western and north central New York State, in particular in the Buffalo and Watertown areas with as much as 6 FEET (1.9 M) in some areas since late Thursday night. BUF airport and others in the region are shut down, as are all roads where all but 1st Responders and snowplows are banned. This may be the heaviest snowfall since 2014 and going back in history. The easterly cold winds from Canada pick up moisture from the warmer and yet to be ice covered great lakes (Erie, Ontario), It is not uncommon for such large amounts of snowfall in late November to early January. Could you even think of trying to shovel out of 6 feet of snow ? This is also very dangerous as some may be trapped in their homes, roofs and other structures may collapsed from the heavy, damp snow. At least 2 have died from heart attacks trying to clear snow, others may die as cannot get to hospitals.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/19/weather/ ... index.html

Wow, not more can be said. Hope everyone is heeding the warnings, you get stuck out there you are on your own.

Used to live in Watertown, lake effect is incredible. You can have thundersnow coming down at 3"+ an hour overhead, and 10 miles away the skies are clear and blue.

ltbewr wrote:

Record breaking amounts of 'lake affect' snow falls has hit areas of Western and north central New York State, in particular in the Buffalo and Watertown areas with as much as 6 FEET (1.9 M) in some areas since late Thursday night. BUF airport and others in the region are shut down, as are all roads where all but 1st Responders and snowplows are banned. This may be the heaviest snowfall since 2014 and going back in history. The easterly cold winds from Canada pick up moisture from the warmer and yet to be ice covered great lakes (Erie, Ontario), It is not uncommon for such large amounts of snowfall in late November to early January. Could you even think of trying to shovel out of 6 feet of snow ? This is also very dangerous as some may be trapped in their homes, roofs and other structures may collapsed from the heavy, damp snow. At least 2 have died from heart attacks trying to clear snow, others may die as cannot get to hospitals.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/19/weather/ ... index.html

Does anyone know why only the US and not nearby parts of Canada such as Kingston and PEC aren’t impacted in the same way?

Kent350787 wrote:

ltbewr wrote:

Record breaking amounts of 'lake affect' snow falls has hit areas of Western and north central New York State, in particular in the Buffalo and Watertown areas with as much as 6 FEET (1.9 M) in some areas since late Thursday night. BUF airport and others in the region are shut down, as are all roads where all but 1st Responders and snowplows are banned. This may be the heaviest snowfall since 2014 and going back in history. The easterly cold winds from Canada pick up moisture from the warmer and yet to be ice covered great lakes (Erie, Ontario), It is not uncommon for such large amounts of snowfall in late November to early January. Could you even think of trying to shovel out of 6 feet of snow ? This is also very dangerous as some may be trapped in their homes, roofs and other structures may collapsed from the heavy, damp snow. At least 2 have died from heart attacks trying to clear snow, others may die as cannot get to hospitals.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/19/weather/ ... index.html

Does anyone know why only the US and not nearby parts of Canada such as Kingston and PEC aren’t impacted in the same way?

Weather direction. The weather predominately moves in a WNW-ESE direction. Kingston is a bit to the north

Thanks for the explanations. I've only been in those areas in the fall, so don't have any real idea of the weather patterns in winter

Im sitting i a hotel near BUF airport right now, drove in today... just north of here, Tonawanda, there's almost no snow, grass is visible through the small amount on the ground...

Here there's a couple feet that feel judging by the amount on cars in the long term lots. just a couple miles east on Transit road it's probably close to 3 feet...

Orchard Park, somewhere we often go to shop, where the football stadium is... reported accumulation as of 7pm tonight...77 inches.... 6'5"...(195.5cm) I'm not that tall! We won't be going that way, but yea this is SNOW.

It's nuts it really is.

https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/bu ... round-wny/

ltbewr wrote:

Record breaking amounts of 'lake affect' snow falls has hit areas of Western and north central New York State, in particular in the Buffalo and Watertown areas with as much as 6 FEET (1.9 M) in some areas since late Thursday night. BUF airport and others in the region are shut down, as are all roads where all but 1st Responders and snowplows are banned. This may be the heaviest snowfall since 2014 and going back in history. The easterly cold winds from Canada pick up moisture from the warmer and yet to be ice covered great lakes (Erie, Ontario), It is not uncommon for such large amounts of snowfall in late November to early January. Could you even think of trying to shovel out of 6 feet of snow ? This is also very dangerous as some may be trapped in their homes, roofs and other structures may collapsed from the heavy, damp snow. At least 2 have died from heart attacks trying to clear snow, others may die as cannot get to hospitals.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/19/weather/ ... index.html

Most places south the the great lakes tend to get hammered with Lake effect because the northerly winds pass over the lakes and in November those lakes are probably warmer than they are in the spring as the water has yet to cool off. The temperature gradient his much higher than it would be in January of February. When I went to school in London, Ontario the volume of lake effect snow was nuts (not at this level) but I remember one storm where 60cm where my parents in Mississauga, ON had none.

I think our ancestors were smart and the two biggest cities on the great lakes Toronto and Chicago are areas where winds will not typically blow from the lake. Most weather systems at this latitude move west to east. They realized that snow largely escapes these places and settled there. Not to say Toronto can't get hammered, we did in January. Easterly winds would cause lake effect to strike both cities.

Also the great lakes typically don't freeze. I think there have been a few winters where it has but they are the exception and not the rule (Niagara falls has a few times in its history). I remember the winters of 2014, 2015, and 2019 being really cold and some of the lake will freeze over but it usually does not. If any great lake is going to freeze its going to be Lake Erie as its the shallowest.

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

Cold, dry wind crosses the lakes (surface temp about 51F); picks up the moisture which comes out as snow once it hits the upslopes of NY. Often, the air mass is so unstable, it produces thunder snow—thunder, lightning and heavy snow. Not a storm, as much as strong NW winds. Sometimes the effect is strong enough to create snow downwind to the eastern parts of NY and the Berkshires. That same wind direction in Canada just blows across dry, frozen land.

Depends where you are. Toronto would be largely protected but the city of Barrie an hour north gets hammered from Lake effect from Lake Huron. London, Ontario that has 500,000 residents gets hammered being south of Toronto and usually a bit warmer, they get slammed from Lake Huron as well.

northstardc4m wrote:

Im sitting i a hotel near BUF airport right now, drove in today... just north of here, Tonawanda, there's almost no snow, grass is visible through the small amount on the ground...

Here there's a couple feet that feel judging by the amount on cars in the long term lots. just a couple miles east on Transit road it's probably close to 3 feet...

Orchard Park, somewhere we often go to shop, where the football stadium is... reported accumulation as of 7pm tonight...77 inches.... 6'5"...(195.5cm) I'm not that tall! We won't be going that way, but yea this is SNOW.

It's nuts it really is.

https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/bu ... round-wny/

I found it hilarious with football fans saying that the Bills were pussies moving the game to Detroit. This level of snow is dangerous and no joke, this is more than enough to collapse a improperly designed roof but thankfully snow is light. Freezing rain and ice storms are what we really worry about.

Its going to be interesting with the temps rising will being the 40's this week as if there will be a flooding risk when this all melts. 2 meters of snow is roughly 20cm (8 inches) of water.

Much of Lake Superior freezes over every year. That's why there's not as much lake effect snow up there. Once the lake freezes, it doesn't release moisture into the air anymore.

Those snow totals are insane, I remember some big snow falls here in New Jersey (1996, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2016). The biggest of all of those was the 1996 storm which dumped 30 inches in my town. They didn't plow my street for 3 days. I walked 1 mile to the Wawa and it was closed, it never closed. I can't even fathom 60 inches.

STT757 wrote:

Those snow totals are insane, I remember some big snow falls here in New Jersey (1996, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2016). The biggest of all of those was the 1996 storm which dumped 30 inches in my town. They didn't plow my street for 3 days. I walked 1 mile to the Wawa and it was closed, it never closed. I can't even fathom 60 inches.

Ah, the Blizzard of '96! I was only six years old for that. Was always disappointed that none of the subsequent snowfalls ever seemed to measure up before I moved out of NJ.

Oh, yeah, '96 was bad. '93 was, too, but I think that was more cumulative over the winter than like in '96 with a huge event.

I drove thru Buffalo in, I believe, New Year's 2001 or 2002. Had a 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee at that time. It was still fairly challenging to get around there. There was 5 feet of snow on the ground. The interstates had sheer walls of snow. The hotel where I stayed had a parking lot of snow drift with cars buried far, far below the snow.

Upon research, BUF had 130" on the ground after the holiday storm late 2001 (!!). 130 inches. 10 feet.

I remember the winter of 2017 was insane here in Truckee, CA. The snow never stopped. IIRC the Summit around Donner Pass got around 600 inches that year.