This week is Winter Preparedness Week in New York...

Governor George Pataki has proclaimed the week of October 29^th through November 4^th as Winter Weather Preparedness Week in New York . The National Weather Service joins with the Governor and the State Emergency Management Office in urging you to prepare for the harsh and sometimes dangerous weather that the winter season often brings.  

Heavy snow can immobilize a region and paralyze a city, stranding commuters, closing airports, stopping the flow of supplies and disrupting services. Accumulations of snow can cause roofs to collapse and knock down trees and power lines.  Homes and farms may be isolated for days.  The cost of snow removal, repairing damages, and the loss of business can have severe economic impacts and cities and towns.  

Heavy snow in western and northern New York is defined as 7 inches or more falling in a 12 hour period, or 9 inches or more falling in a 24 hour period.  

Most heavy snow in western and northern New York is caused by lake effect.  As arctic air sweeps across the relatively warm waters of the Lakes Erie and Ontario,  heavy snow forms and falls downstream.  Snowfall rates can exceed 4 inches an hour which is enough to overwhelm most snow removal crews and equipment. Strong winds often accompany lake effect snow which cause deep drifts and reduce visibility.  

Heavy snow can also fall as the result of large storms called nor'easters which move up the Atlantic coast.  Whereas lake effect snow usually falls in narrow bands, snow from nor'easters can blanket thousands or square miles.  

Looking back at the historical record, western and northern New York has had its share of dangerous winter storms. Across the Niagara Frontier we were just reminded how cruel and harsh winter storms can be. Up to 24 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across parts of the region. The weight of the snow downed trees, limbs and power lines. Several hundred thousand customers were left without power...some for over a week. 

Another deadly winter storm, the Blizzard of '77 ranks as one of the worst. While only about a foot of snow fell from January 28^th to February 1^st, wind gusts up to 75 miles an hour in Niagara Falls and 69 miles an hour in Buffalo whipped up snow drifts over 20 feet deep, nearly topping telephone poles. Thousands of people were stranded away from their homes as roads became clogged and impassable.  Twenty-nine people died, many frozen to death in their buried cars.  President Carter proclaimed a federal disaster over a seven county area.  

On November 20, 2000 a crippling Lake Effect Storm struck the City of Buffalo and the adjacent northern suburbs.  During the afternoon and evening hours, snow fell at the rate of 2 - 4 inches per hour.  Thunder and lightning accompanied the blinding snow.  By the time it ended, two feet of snow piled up, and traffic came to a standstill.  Thousands were left stranded away from home.  They spent the night in cars, buses, schools, supermarkets, or at work.  Fortunately, almost miraculously, no one was killed, but it was the most disruptive storm in the Buffalo area since the Blizzard of '77.  Lake Effect snows continued over the next couple of days downwind from Lakes Erie and Ontario, dumping over 2 feet in portions of Chautauqua and Oswego counties.  

People living in and around Rochester will not soon forget the Blizzard of March 4, 1999.
Over two feet of snow accompanied by strong winds forced the closing of the New York State Thruway and the stranding of thousands of motorists.  The National Guard was called on to help remove cars and rescue the motorists.  Power outages affected over 10,000 customers.    

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