Historic Snowfall in New York - 80" in Orchard Park!

news image
Special Stories
21 Nov 2022 2:00 PM

GREAT LAKES - Heavy snow is winding down in upstate New York after what has been a record-breaking lake effect event!

How Much Snow?

Think of the tallest person you know. That's about how much snow accumulated in the snow belt of New York! As of Sunday, Orchard Park was up to 80" inches of snow, that's about 6 feet 8 inches tall! It won't just be the amount of snow, but the weight of it and the subsequent strain it will put on people's homes and roofs. Our field correspondent Jonathan Petramala has been trudging through the snow in Buffalo, New York which received 36.7" of storm-total snowfall. On Saturday, Buffalo reached another record snowfall event of 17.2 inches! For perspective, the snowiest November Buffalo ever had on record was in 2000, with the snowiest day being 11/20/2000 when just shy of 25" fell. However, in 2014 from Nov 17 to 19th, 65" fell in S. Cheektowaga, just outside city limits. Official historical snow reporting stations are at the Buffalo airport and lake effect bands are extremely narrow, leading to the difference in snow totals for the history books!

Some of the reports off of Lake Ontario may climb slightly with lake effect bands still sticking around overnight into Monday. Our top reports so far off of Lake Ontario have been up to 72" in Natural Bridge, NY. For more on this, join WeatherNation for our Eastern Regional Forecasts at :10 past the hour and for your top Weather Headlines.

All Weather News
More
More Record Highs Obliterated in Historic Heat Wave

More Record Highs Obliterated in Historic Heat Wave

ABOVE - The month of March has been setting r

31 Mar 2026 2:10 AM
Artemis 2 Set To Launch Wednesday, Watching the Forecast

Artemis 2 Set To Launch Wednesday, Watching the Forecast

Artemis 2 is finally ready to launch! After t

31 Mar 2026 2:05 AM
Strong Storms Return to the Midwest This Week

Strong Storms Return to the Midwest This Week

As a weak wave of low pressure moves through

31 Mar 2026 2:00 AM
SW Pattern Change Ahead: Tracking Rain & Snow

SW Pattern Change Ahead: Tracking Rain & Snow

While much of the country, and in particular

31 Mar 2026 2:00 AM
Critical Fire Danger & Isolated Dry Thunderstorms

Critical Fire Danger & Isolated Dry Thunderstorms

It's been unbearably hot across the West for

31 Mar 2026 1:50 AM
PEAK BLOOM - Cherry Blossoms Emerge at the National Mall

PEAK BLOOM - Cherry Blossoms Emerge at the National Mall

Top Image Credit: National Parks ServiceSprin

29 Mar 2026 7:00 PM
Pineapple Express Delivers Another Round of Rain

Pineapple Express Delivers Another Round of Rain

Heavy rainfall from moisture that inundated t

24 Mar 2026 9:45 AM