Wacka Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 (edited) The Blizzard of 77 was the worst, but the November storm of 2014 was bad, We had 7 feet of snow in about 3 days. About 2 mies north they only had about 2-3 inches. about a mile or so north they had none. Edited March 25, 2017 by Wacka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo_Gal Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Yup, Blizzard of '77.I remember high school students had to go back to school one day earlier than the grammar schools - which I found VERY unfair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 What fuels Syracuse's huge amount of snow? It seems to be too far away from Lake Ontario? It is Lake Effect. Bands will reach far inland with a strong set-up. The fetch of Lake Ontaio is west-east and in perfect position to grab prevailing cold air over Lake Ontario that seldom freezes hard... Meaning it stays warmer than the other lakes, hence keeping the "snow machine" active even during the coldest of winters... Cold air keeps coming over long fetch of warm lake. Why Watertown gets blasted too. Weather generally moves west-east in northern hemisphere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdutton Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 The Blizzard of 77 was the wors, but the November storm of 2014 was bad, We had 7 feet of snow in about 3 days. About 2 mies north they only had about 2-3 inches. about a mile or so north they had none. My uncle was in the path of that freak storm. He had close to 10 feet of snow. Had $10k in damage to his house in East Aurora. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 This is my father's house in the S.Cheektowaga/W.Seneca area during Snovember 2014. That big "hump" to the left is my brother's Ford Flex that is underneath the snow in the driveway. There was some blocking and drifting of snow. But... Notice the basketball pole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talley56 Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 (edited) 2009-2010, we got three blizzards in one winter including two of them in one week. Shoveled a ton that winter. I did the polar bear plunge that year in driving snow (fortunately not one of the blizzards but still a big snowstorm). I couldn't feel anything from the time I went under water until I got back to the bus. But this was in MD. I'm sure our worst winter is nothing compared to even an average winter in WNY. Edited March 25, 2017 by Talley56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Over the past few years Toronto has faced a December ice storm that left a significant portion of the area without electricity for two weeks. As well a recent January had a long spell under 0 fahrenheit, which made for worse driving conditions with the effect on tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 It is Lake Effect. Bands will reach far inland with a strong set-up. The fetch of Lake Ontaio is west-east and in perfect position to grab prevailing cold air over Lake Ontario that seldom freezes hard... Meaning it stays warmer than the other lakes, hence keeping the "snow machine" active even during the coldest of winters... Cold air keeps coming over long fetch of warm lake. Why Watertown gets blasted too. Weather generally moves west-east in northern hemisphere. I guess it does go far inland. I figured part of it was that the lake is too deep and doesn't freeze. Here's my ranking of winter weather events in my life. I think I'm forgetting one: Blizzard of '77 October Surprise 2006 7 feet of snow November 2014 7 feet of snow December 2001 Ice Storm '76 Blizzard of '85 (Jimmy Six Pack) January 1999 - significant snow every day for weeks. Got super high, nowhere to put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 I guess it does go far inland. I figured part of it was that the lake is too deep and doesn't freeze. Here's my ranking of winter weather events in my life. I think I'm forgetting one: Blizzard of '77 October Surprise 2006 7 feet of snow November 2014 7 feet of snow December 2001 Ice Storm '76 Blizzard of '85 (Jimmy Six Pack) January 1999 - significant snow every day for weeks. Got super high, nowhere to put it. As lakes go... The freezing thing is interesting (IMO)... I think Tom mentioned that they (scientists) still don't quite understand all the dynamics that go into water and its freezing. Anyway, Lake Ontario is the smallest... So has smallest surface area... Yet, notoriously is last to form ice or is way behind the other Lakes in freezing, even after extended and repeated Arctic blasts. It is a deep lake. I am just a lock op, but I stayed one time at an Holiday Inn Express... I am thinking Lake Ontario not freezing as fast as the other Lakes has to do with its thermocline. For the geo nerds & techies out there: http://individual.utoronto.ca/chymijan/LakeOntario_Benthic_Turbulence.html Look at Lake Superior, much, much more surface area, deeper... Same west-east orientation... But SOME seasons it freezes over and hard, where in the same season, Lake Ontario is struggling to make ice. Yes, Superior is slightly more north and further into the continent... But not much more. There is a huge Falls that spills into Lake Ontario. I wonder if that has an effect on the thermocline? One trick we use at lock to keep our upper gate recesses ice-free is to "crack" (open/raise) our filling valves a few inches. By doing this, the circulation keeps the warm water @ the bottom of the river rising to the top and keeping the surface ice free. SORRY for geeking out. Winter is my sick obsession. I don't like to deal with winter, but I do and actively seek it for some strange reason. If you gave me the choice between Honolulu and Duluth in January... I would love to ALWAYS pick Hawaii, but somehow I would wake up in Minnesota! Every time, how the eff does that happen! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 As lakes go... The freezing thing is interesting (IMO)... I think Tom mentioned that they (scientists) still don't quite understand all the dynamics that go into water and its freezing. Anyway, Lake Ontario is the smallest... So has smallest surface area... Yet, notoriously is last to form ice or is way behind the other Lakes in freezing, even after extended and repeated Arctic blasts. It is a deep lake. I am just a lock op, but I stayed one time at an Holiday Inn Express... I am thinking Lake Ontario not freezing as fast as the other Lakes has to do with its thermocline. For the geo nerds & techies out there: http://individual.utoronto.ca/chymijan/LakeOntario_Benthic_Turbulence.html Look at Lake Superior, much, much more surface area, deeper... Same west-east orientation... But SOME seasons it freezes over and hard, where in the same season, Lake Ontario is struggling to make ice. Yes, Superior is slightly more north and further into the continent... But not much more. There is a huge Falls that spills into Lake Ontario. I wonder if that has an effect on the thermocline? One trick we use at lock to keep our upper gate recesses ice-free is to "crack" (open/raise) our filling valves a few inches. By doing this, the circulation keeps the warm water @ the bottom of the river rising to the top and keeping the surface ice free. SORRY for geeking out. Winter is my sick obsession. I don't like to deal with winter, but I do and actively seek it for some strange reason. If you gave me the choice between Honolulu and Duluth in January... I would love to ALWAYS pick Hawaii, but somehow I would wake up in Minnesota! Every time, how the eff does that happen! ;-) Interesting. And, now I know what a thermocline is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 1977 was brutal weather I have ever lived through. I lived in the snowbelt. We had a 6' gap between our house and garage and it was completely filled with snow to 2nd level and onto the garage. We were not allowed to use front door in winter so we needed to dig a tunnel from back door porch to front yard, between the house and garage to get out. That snow lasted more than a month, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 (edited) 1977 was brutal weather I have ever lived through. I lived in the snowbelt. We had a 6' gap between our house and garage and it was completely filled with snow to 2nd level and onto the garage. We were not allowed to use front door in winter so we needed to dig a tunnel from back door porch to front yard, between the house and garage to get out. That snow lasted more than a month, I was only 8. For some reason, I remember the March 1976 IceStorm more... We must not had power issues (S.Cheek/W.Sen) & I was home during '77? NOW, 1978, I remember buses in snow and parents walking to school (yes, on their on volition, dummies!) to get me... Only thing I was worried about was my little sister in Kindergarten, I was in 4th... Nobody told me the Kindergartners didnt make it in that day, because afternoon session was cancelled. IF I would have known that, would have been much more enjoyable storm. My parents came w/my snowmobile suit, boots, snow gear, packed me up and we trudged home the mile or so. We probably could have used snowshoes. And... Then they finally told me where my sister was. Jesus Christ, lack of communication today would be hard to exist. Edited March 25, 2017 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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