Western New York is no stranger to lake-effect snow. In fact, year after year the city of good neighbors and its surrounding suburbs get dumped on with feet of fresh powder.
Last year (2021–22 season) Buffalo saw 97.4” of snow throughout the entire season. This year, as we turn the calendar into December, the Buffalo airport has already picked up 36.9” of snow. Most of that snow, coming down from Nov. 16–20, 2022.
The hardest hit areas in Western New York over the four-day event came just south of the Buffalo Airport. Orchard Park, where the Buffalo Bills play, saw over 6.5 feet of snow. Areas like Hamburg and Athol Springs nearby saw six feet or more of snow as well.
What made this lake-effect band so impressive and powerful was the fact that it did not move or wobble around a lot. That allowed for the intense and narrow band to dump six inches per hour on those areas with the highest totals.
Have you ever seen snowfall rates that high? This was my first time and when I tell you it was crazy, I mean it. On top of producing white-out conditions, thunder and lightning were almost nonstop.
The snow was also very heavy and wet. That added another challenge to those who tried to shovel or snowplow out. Unfortunately, because of the weight and sheer amount of snow that fell, two people died while clearing out their driveways.
In addition to that, the weight of the snow damaged multiple homes and businesses. Some roofs even collapsed under the weight of the snow.
Covering an event like this was intense. I was on television every ten minutes Thursday into the overnight hours, took a small break, and then picked up again Friday afternoon.
In the hours I was not on, Meteorologist Dan Russell and Christina Reis were doing the same. All in all, viewers were not left without the knowledge of a meteorologist on their TV screens for one second throughout the four days this event took place. Keeping you informed was and will continue to be our priority in the storms to come this winter.
Compared to the ‘November Storm of 2014,’ I think Western New Yorkers were more organized. This allowed for less panic and more preparation.
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