Maximum Snowfall: Lake Erie 7" (Colden); Lake Ontario 17" (Minetto)

Duration: 24 hours +/-

Prime Feature: Brief, but fairy intense event. Windy.

As in the last event, this one evolved from a departing synoptic system which gave most of western and central New York a good 2 to 4 inches overnight on 20-21st. A brisk westerly flow followed, with bands of lakes now setting up south of Buffalo during Friday morning (21st) and continuing into the evening before dissipating as ridging moved quickly in. Lake Erie was largely frozen but a large patch of open water in its eastern basin was just enough to provide moisture for the limited lake effect event.

As usual, the set up was better off unfrozen Lake Ontario where an intense band developed during the afternoon and continued through the evening, tapering off after midnight on Sat. (22nd). Again, as in so many cases the past two winters, the activity focused on Oswego County where over a foot fell.

This event was relatively brief but unlike the other ones this season, was accompanied by gusty west winds of 20 to 30 mph which caused considerable blowing and drifting and there were a number of spinout accidents.

This was a brief but fairly intense event with some gusty winds. It therefore earns two ** stars.

Here are some representative reports.

Off Lake Erie - Location	Snowfall
Colden	7 inches
East Aurora	6 inches
Perrysburg	6 inches
Warsaw	6 inches

Off Lake Ontario - Location	Snowfall
Minetto	17 inches
Palermo	12 inches
Fulton	12 inches
Scriba	10 inches


National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Buffalo 587 Aero Drive Buffalo, N.Y. 14225-1405 (716)565-0204 or (716)565-0802 Climate and Forecast recordings Webmaster:Webmaster Page last modified: January 30, 2011	Disclaimer Credits Glossary	Privacy Policy About Us Career Opportunities