Lake-Effect Snow — Southern Erie, New York

2022-01-23 · Southern Erie, New York

Wider weather episode

A mid-level trough and cold front crossed the eastern Great Lakes region through the evening hours of Saturday, January 22. Bands of lake effect snow formed quickly after the cold front passage, but off Lake Erie, the snow band was initially weak and at times disorganized. Still gusty winds behind the cold front and the mixing in of drier air held back on the formation of the Lake Erie band of snow until a period of time after the cold front.

Once moisture deepened later in the night and winds in the lower 5 thousand feet of

the atmosphere diminished from around 45 knots down to 25 to 30 knots, plumes of

lake effect snow off the lakes intensified further.

The Lake Erie snow band started across the Buffalo Southtowns during the late

evening hours. Initially the band was broad, intensifying briefly just past

midnight. As deeper moisture arrived in the later overnight period a more

concentrated band of snow oriented across far southern Erie County northeastward

into Wyoming County. The snow band peaked in intensity, with snowfall rates

2 to 3/hr, just past dawn before weakening through the morning and afternoon

hours across Ski Country.

The Lake Ontario snow band started just to the north of Watertown late Saturday

evening. Along a much longer fetch of lake waters that contributed additional

moisture as well as convergence this band of snow became intense quickly, dropping

snow across northern Jefferson through the midnight hour. As winds aloft veered

the snow band oriented across the northern Tug Hill just past midnight, and

intensified with snowfall rates likely 2 to 3 inches per hour across southern Jefferson

County. This band of snow remained over southern Jefferson and into Lewis County

till the dawn hours producing up to a foot and a half snowfall. The snow band

continued its southward movement, dropping to the southeast Lake Ontario

shoreline through the midday hours in a weakening state.

Another clipper low advanced across the eastern Great Lakes Sunday afternoon,

January 23. The increased wind shear around the low disrupted the snow bands,

with diffuse snow bands within widespread light synoptic snow through the afternoon

hours.

Selected snow totals from this event included 17 inches at Lake Erie Beach, 13 inches in Angola, 14 inches in Henderson, and 11.2 inches in Watertown.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1003831. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.