Seemingly every year, New York gets hammered with what we believe to be historic snow storms. However, it's often hyperbole as even a drastic blizzard can't crack some of New York's highest one-day snowfall amounts.
Whether it's lake effect or a Nor'easter, the Empire State is always ready for snow, but these one day amounts are the extreme of the extreme. Some of these records stand the test of time, with a few stretching back to a century ago or more!
On this list you'll see some repeat dates, because some snow storms are so formidable that even at their peak they stretch over multiple counties. For example, March 14, 1993 produced the highest one-day snow fall amounts for a handfull of Central New York counties.
Although records are made to be broken, one New York county has had a record stand for 146 years. Kings County (Brooklyn) picked up 27 inches of snow on December 27, 1872, a snowfall total that hasn't been topped.
The most recent record-setting storm came just last year on March 15, 2017, when Chenango County, Essex County, Hamilton County, Madison County, Otsego County, Tioga County and Broome County all saw record amounts of snowfall when a massive storm hammered Central New York and the Southern Tier.
How does your home county stack up?
Oneida County: February 1, 1966 — 50 inches
Erie County: November 20, 2014 — 47.5 inches
Lewis County: January 6, 1988 — 47.5 inches
Jefferson County: December 10, 1995 — 45 inches
Franklin County: March 14, 1993 — 42 inches
Albany County: February 14, 1914 — 38 inches
Sullivan County: February 16, 1958 — 38 inches
Onondaga County: March 14, 1993 — 36 inches
Chautauqua County: March 4, 1971 — 32 inches
Broome County: March 14, 2017 — 31.2 inches
Saratoga County: January 16, 1983 — 30 inches
Ulster County: February 26, 2010 — 29 inches
Orange County: January 20, 1962 — 29 inches
Wayne County: March 14, 1993 — 28 inches
Tompkins County: February 4, 1962 — 26 inches
Niagara County: January 23, 1966 — 25 inches
Schenectady County: November 25, 1971 — 24.5 inches
Dutchess County: February 8, 1895 — 24 inches
Monroe County: January 3, 1996 — 23 inches
These are some of the notable totals by county, but if you want to see more, visit this website for the full list.