More than 80 inches of snow covered western New York late last week in a historic lake-effect snowstorm, shattering record amounts for a 24-hour period in the area.
When comparing Buffalo to NYC, Buffalo received approximately more than double the snowfall that NYC receives on average in an entire season in recent years in just a matter of days, according to The National Weather Service.
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service in Buffalo just after 11p.m. on Saturday, November 19, warning residents of a band of heavy snow accompanied by high winds, creating what they referred to as a “burst of snow” in Western New York.
Erie County, which includes Buffalo, experienced its largest-ever amount of snowfall in a 24-hour period Saturday, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, who tweeted:
This was a RECORD-BREAKING storm that in some ways was more intense than Snowvember, the relatively quick recovery is a testament to everyone’s preparation and planning. The proactive approach continues to work.
“Snowvember” was a storm that hit Buffalo in November 2014, where just about 7 feet of snow piled up across a three-day span.
The Buffalo Southtown of Orchard Park, where the Buffalo Bills were originally scheduled to play a game, saw a whopping 80 inches of snow, forcing the game to be moved to Ford Field in Detroit due to “public safety concerns and out of an abundance of caution in light of the ongoing weather emergency in western New York.”
The storm finally came to an end on Monday, December 21.
Here’s to hoping that everyone in Western New York is staying safe and warm!