PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...LAKE STORM SUMMARY...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO, NY
1005 AM EST SAT DEC 21 1996

THE SEASON'S FIFTH MAJOR LAKE EFFECT STORM ENDED OVERNIGHT...BUT NOT 
BEFORE DUMPING SOME IMPRESSIVE SNOWS OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND 
CENTRAL NEW YORK. THIS STORM AFFECTED THE MORE TYPICAL "SNOWBELT" 
AREAS EAST OF BOTH LAKES ERIE AND ONTARIO WITH AS MUCH AS THREE FEET 
IN A FEW SPOTS. THE MOST DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THIS STORM WAS THE 
EXTREMELY SHARP CUTOFF ON BOTH ITS NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN EDGES.

OFF LAKE ERIE...THE SNOWBAND SET UP THURSDAY AFTERNOON ALONG THE 
LAKESHORE NEAR THE ERIE-CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY LINE AND EXTENDED EASTWARD 
ACROSS SOUTHERN ERIE AND WYOMING COUNTIES DURING THE EVENING AS THE 
WINDS INCREASED. SNOWFALL WAS VERY INTENSE WITH RATES OF AS MUCH AS 3 
TO 5" PER HOUR. THIS BAND DRIFTED NORTHWARD EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AND 
EDGED INTO BUFFALO'S SOUTHERN SUBURBS FOR SEVERAL HOURS...DROPPING A 
QUICK FOOT...BEFORE SETTLING SOUTHWARD DURING THE MIDDAY HOURS AND 
INTO NORTHERN CHAUTAUQUA AND NORTHERN CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES IN A 
WEAKENED STATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE BAND THEN BRIEFLY INTENSIFIED 
EARLY IN THE EVENING AS IT BEGAN MARCHING NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHERN 
ERIE COUNTY...THEN RAPIDLY BACKING WINDS QUICKLY PUSHED THE SNOWBAND 
NORTHWARD ACROSS THE BUFFALO METRO AREA BY MIDNIGHT AND ON INTO THE 
NIAGARA PENINSULA OF ONTARIO IN THE PREDAWN HOURS. 

THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL DURING THIS EVENT FELL WITHIN A 5 MILE STRIP 
EXTENDING FROM SILVER CREEK...EAST NORTHEAST ACROSS BRANDT...NORTH 
COLLINS...EDEN...AND BOSTON WHERE TOTALS WERE IN THE 30 TO 34 INCH 
RANGE. OVER 18 INCHES FELL OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN ERIE COUNTY AND IN 
THE DUNKIRK-FREDONIA AREA...WITH 12 TO 18 INCHES OVER THE BUFFALO 
SOUTH TOWNS. AMOUNTS DECREASED RAPIDLY TO THE SOUTH WITH ONLY 4 
INCHES AT ELLICOTTVILLE AND LESS THAN 2 INCHES FROM JAMESTOWN TO 
SALAMANCA.
6 TO 14 INCHES FELL OVER WYOMING COUNTY AND UP TO 7 INCHES OVER 
SOUTHWEST GENESEE COUNTY. BUFFALO AND MOST OF ITS SUBURBS RECEIVED 
ONLY 1 TO 3 INCHES AND THAT WAS FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE BAND SWUNG 
NORTHWARD AND WEAKENED. THE SNOW WAS VERY LIGHT AND ALREADY WAS 
SETTLING RAPIDLY.

OFF LAKE ONTARIO...A SIMILAR SCENARIO PLAYED OUT...JUST SEVERAL HOURS 
LATER. THE SNOWBAND SET UP THURSDAY EVENING OVER NORTHERN OSWEGO AND 
EXTREME SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES AND EXTENDED INLAND ACROSS THE 
TUG HILL OF LEWIS COUNTY AS WINDS STRENGTHENED. THIS SNOWBAND 
MEANDERED A LITTLE TO THE NORTH ON FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE SETTLING 
SOUTH TO COVER MOST OF OSWEGO AND NORTHERN ONEIDA COUNTY BY EARLY 
EVENING. THE BAND THEN RAPIDLY SWUNG NORTHWARD AS THE WINDS BACKED 
AND PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE ST LAWRENCE VALLEY BY EARLY THIS 
MORNING IN A WEAKENED STATE.

THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL FELL ALONG THE JEFFERSON-OSWEGO COUNTY LINE AND 
EASTWARD ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL LEWIS COUNTY WHERE 28 TO 33 INCHES WERE 
REPORTED. EVEN PORTIONS OF THE BLACK RIVER VALLEY NEAR CASTORLAND 
RECEIVED ABOUT TWO FEET. AMOUNTS DROPPED OFF QUICKLY TO THE SOUTH 
WITH MOST OF OSWEGO COUNTY CATCHING JUST 3 TO 6 INCHES. 2 TO 5 INCHES 
FELL OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY...INCLUDING 
WATERTOWN...AS THE BAND SWUNG NORTHWARD EARLY TODAY.

SOME SPECIFIC SNOWFALL TOTALS BY COUNTY INCLUDE:

...OFF LAKE ERIE...

...NIAGARA AND ORLEANS COUNTIES....LESS THAN 1 INCH

...ERIE COUNTY...
NORTH COLLINS... 34 INCHES
EDEN............ 32 INCHES
BRANDT.......... 30 INCHES
BOSTON.......... 30 INCHES
COLDEN.......... 22 INCHES
SPRINGVILLE..... 18 INCHES
WALES........... 18 INCHES
ORCHARD PARK.... 16 INCHES
EAST AURORA..... 14 INCHES
MARILLA......... 13 INCHES
GOWANDA......... 12 INCHES
HAMBURG......... 12 INCHES
WEST SENECA..... 12 INCHES
ELMA............ 10 INCHES
LANCASTER (SO.). 10 INCHES
LANCASTER (NO.).  3 INCHES
ALDEN...........  8 INCHES
DEPEW...........  3 INCHES
BUFFALO (NWS)...  1.7 INCHES
AMHERST/TONAWANDA 1.3 INCHES

...CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY...
SILVER CREEK.... 30 INCHES
FREDONIA........ 24 INCHES
DUNKIRK......... 22 INCHES
WESTFIELD.......  5 INCHES
SHERMAN.........  2 INCHES
SINCLAIRIVLLE...  1 INCH
JAMESTOWN.......  1 INCH

...CATTARAUGUS COUNTY...
PERRYSBURG...... 12 INCHES
ELLICOTTVILLE...  4 INCHES
NEW ALBION......  1 INCH
SALAMANCA.......  1 INCH

...WYOMING COUNTY...
VARYSBURG....... 15 INCHES
BENNINGTON...... 12 INCHES
WARSAW.......... 11 INCHES
PERRY...........  6 INCHES

...GENESEE COUNTY...
DARIEN CTR......  7 INCHES
BATAVIA.........  3 INCHES


...OFF LAKE ONTARIO...

...LEWIS COUNTY...
HOOKER.......... 33 INCHES
NORTH OSCEOLA... 32 INCHES
MONTAGUE........ 32 INCHES
CASTORLAND...... 23 INCHES
BARNES CORNERS.. 19 INCHES
LOWVILLE........ 15 INCHES

...JEFFERSON COUNTY...
MANNSVILLE...... 24 NICHES
ADAMS........... 14 INCHES
WATERTOWN.......  4 INCHES

...OSWEGO COUNTY...
REDFIELD........ 28 INCHES
OSWEGO..........  6 INCHES
WEST MONROE.....  4 INCHES
FULTON..........  3 INCHES


ALL OF THE ABOVE SNOWFALL TOTALS COURTESY OF THE BUFFALO NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE'S SNOWSPOTTER NETWORK. WE THANK ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS 
FOR THEIR EFFORTS.

MCLAUGHLIN