If you joined us on Action News This Morning, you may have caught me referring to the ongoing lake effect snowstorm in Western New York. As much as a foot of snow is expected to fall by late tonight atop the Chautauqua Ridge...a location notorious for receiving tons of lake effect snow during the winter. But while lake effect snow is extremely unusual during the month of April, it has happened before...and not too long ago!
A major and long-duration lake effect snowstorm affected locations downwind of both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario between April 4th and April 8th in 2007. The event capped off a memorable 2006-07 season as one of the most intense and long lasting cold periods for so late in the season...and it set off some impressive lake snows east and southeast of both lakes. It was the first "named" event in the month of April in the 13 year history of lake storms. This combined with a massive October storm to bracket the 2006-2007 winter season with the earliest and latest events on record.
The event began late Wednesday the 4th following a sharp cold front. A massive upper level low then set up over Quebec and poured near record cold across the eastern two thirds of the nation for several days. Most of the Lakes were open again after mild weather in late March, but eastern Lake Erie still had a good deal of ice cover. Still, the moist northwest flow brought residual moisture from the Upper Lakes and impinged on the Chautauqua ridge and dropped up to a foot of upslope/lake enhanced snow there. Several inches also fell down into the Jamestown area. For the next few days, lake snows became more organized during the late night and early morning periods, breaking up into cellular activity during the afternoon and early evening hours. The heavier accumulations were at night. The Thursday night-Friday morning period brought 6-12" to much of Oswego county and southern Tug Hill and also another 6 to 12 across Chautauqua county, and a surprise 4 to 7 inches across Niagara County. Then, Friday night-Saturday morning period saw an intense band across southern Jefferson county, with somewhat of a repeat along the south shore of the Lake Saturday night and Sunday morning. During the afternoon and early evenings, brief heavy snow showers occurred, but accumulated little. Conditions finally moderated enough to shut down any lake snows late Sunday as inversion lowered and 850 mb temps rose slightly. The totals were impressive, but settled fast due to the season, so no more than a foot was on the ground at any one time anywhere. Very little fell in the Buffalo area, and Rochester caught a bit only Sunday morning.
Some specific amounts included:
Off of Lake Erie...
Perrysburg 26 inches
Mayville 23 inches
Arkwright 18 inches
Jamestown 15 inches
Warsaw 15 inches
East Aurora 9 inches
Buffalo metro less than 2 inches
Off of Lake Ontario...
Redfield 38 inches
Parish 24 inches
Hooker 24 inches
Highmarket 18 inches
Fulton 16 inches
Constantia 15 inches
Wolcott 11 inches
Watertown 6 inches
Lowville 4 inches
Rochester metro 2 to 4 inches
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