Entombed in Snow in Buffalo
December 31, 2001
Just a week ago, Buffalo's residents were asking when would it ever snow? Buffalo recieved no snow in November for the first time in their recorded history, and had only a little over an inch through Christmas Eve. However, it has been pay back time since then. The photo above was actually taken after Buffalo's paralyzing blizzard in 1977.
Anytime during the late fall and early winter that Lake Erie's water is relatively warm, as it has been this autumn, the winds are blowing from the western quadrant, and cold air is in place over the Great Lakes region, there's going to be lake effect snow in Buffalo. With winds out of the west-southwest, the fetch across Lake Erie is especially long, and the windward side of the lake (eastern shores) can count on huge dumps of snow.
According to the National Weather Service, as of Friday, 72.1 inches of snow had fallen since Christmas Eve! Until Lake Erie freezes over, shutting off the moisture source, more lake effect snows can be expected. When will it ever stop?
Wishing you all the best in 2002!