Buffalo Snow Blitz…

Incredible. Unprecedented. Historic. Astounding. These are adjectives used to describe an unbelieveable five day lake effect snow blitz that started in Buffalo NY on Christmas Eve in 2001. After an unprecedented November in which no snow fell in the city, December made up for it. On the 24th, 25.2 inches of snow fell in 24 hours, making it the third highest 24 hour snowfall total for the city and just one tenth of an inch from second place.

After a break late on Christmas Day, the intense band of lake effect snow meandered back across the city, dumping another 29.6 inches of snow between 7pm on the 26th and 7pm on the 27th, establishing the second place mark for 24 hour snowfall. Twelve hours later, that record would be pushed back to third place as a whopping 24 hour total of 35.4 inches was recorded, just shy of the all time 24 hour total of 37.9 inches in December 1985. But the five day total of 82.3 inches is far and away an all-time record, more than in any other single MONTH in Buffalo and very close to their seasonal average of 93.

Lake effect snow is dry and fluffy, so the maximum amount on the ground was 44 inches, also establishing an all time record. Evan as accustomed to heavy snowfalls as Buffalo is, this snowfall event virtually closed the city, but residents took the snows in stride. Schools were closed for the holidays and many people were taking an extended Christmas vacation. Canada sent additional snow removal equipment as snow had to be removed in dump trucks.

Forecasters saw the event coming over a week in advance, knowing that unseasonably warm lake temperatures near 40 degrees and a weather pattern that would bring cold winds on a long fetch over Lake Erie would result in a massive snows. As long as the lake remains unfrozen, lake effect snows can happen.

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