It may be unseasonable considering the time of year, but what the heck, you asked for it and I delivered. Lake effect snow is one of the key components in providing winter to WNY.

Lake snow develops when mild lake water interacts with cooler air temperatures. Over the lakes we see dark and ominous clouds develop. Eventually the clouds produce snow showers and the rest is history.

When diving into lake snow, wind direction is important. When a SW wind moves over Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, big events tend to take place in the Buffalo metro and in Watertown, NY. An example of this is the blizzard that occurred in January 2014. When winds shift to the W, ski country and the S. Tier get hit hard. Off Lake Ontario, the Tug Hill Plateau gets clobbered. Lastly when a NW wind moves over the lakes, multiple bands develop off of Lake Erie and tend to impact the Southtowns and the Chautauqua Ridge. Off of Lake Ontario, Rochester picks up snow as well as the Mohawk Valley and Syracuse.

So far this year, as of March 24, 2020, 64.6” of snow fell at the Buffalo Airport. That is well below average, by about 25.6” to be exact. Hopefully not too much more snow will fall considering the time of year.