000 NOUS41 KBUF 242207 PNSBUF NYZ001>008-010>014-019>021-085-281200- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 600 PM EDT THU APR 24 2008 ...2007-2008 SEASON SNOWFALL SUMMARY... WITH THE ONSET AND CONTINUATION OF THE EXTRAORDINARILY FINE APRIL WEATHER...WE CLOSE THE CHAPTER ON YET ANOTHER WINTER HERE IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEW YORK. THE FOLLOWING IS OUR ANNUAL SUMMARY...WITH SNOWFALL NUMBERS COURTESY OF OUR COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS AND OUR 200 PLUS PERSON SNOWSPOTTER NETWORK. THE WINTER OF 2007-08 WAS A TENACIOUS ONE ACROSS OUR REGION. IT WAS VERY ACTIVE SYNOPTICALLY...WITH A PERSISTENT STORM TRACK FROM THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION AND INTERIOR NORTHEAST. THIS GAVE OUR REGION AN UNUSUALLY HIGH AMOUNT OF GENERAL PRECIPITATION...WITH ALL AREAS WELL ABOVE NORMAL. THE PROXIMITY OF THE STORM TRACK BROUGHT FREQUENT INCURSIONS OF WARMER AIR IN CONJUNCTION WITH MOST OF THE STORMS...SO MOST OF THEM CONTAINED A MIX OF ALL TYPES OF PRECIPITATION AND FEW WERE ALL SNOW. IN FACT..SUCH PATTERNS FAVOR HEAVIER SNOWS ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS...AND THIS WAS REFLECTED BY EXCESSIVE SNOWFALL OVER NIAGARA AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES THIS WINTER. THESE COUNTIES ARE USUALLY AT THE LOW END OF OUR SNOW TOTALS. FURTHER NORTH...THERE WAS A STRIP OF RECORD SNOWFALL WHICH EXTENDED FROM WISCONSIN TO LOWER MICHIGAN TO NEAR TORONTO AND THEN ON TO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND THE ST. LAWRENCE VALLEY. LAKE EFFECT WAS NOT AS PRONOUNCED AS IN A NORMAL WINTER...ESPECIALLY OFF LAKE ERIE. THERE WERE TEN "NAMED" EVENTS INCLUDING THREE MAJOR ONES OFF LAKE ONTARIO FOCUSING ON OSWEGO AND SOUTHERN LEWIS COUNTIES. STILL...THE OVERALL SNOWFALL MAP SHOWS MAXIMA IN THE TYPICAL AREAS DOWNWIND OF EACH LAKE AND IN FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS FROM THE CHAUTAUQUA RIDGE AND SKI COUNTRY OFF ERIE...AND THE TUG HILL OFF ONTARIO. OSWEGO COUNTY ALSO SHARED IN EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE WINTER. CONVERSELY...SNOWFALL MINIMA FOCUSED ON THE MID GENESEE VALLEY AND FINGER LAKES REGION AS IS TYPICALLY THE CASE. THE WINTER`S SNOW SEASON BEGAN SLOWLY WITH LITTLE SNOW IN NOVEMBER. HOWEVER THE FIRST HALF OF DECEMBER WAS COLD AND QUITE SNOWY WITH A SYNOPTIC/LAKE ENHANCED EVENT ON 3-5TH BRINGING HEAVY SNOW TO THE ROCHESTER AREA. A MAJOR SYNOPTIC STORM ON THE 16-17TH BROUGHT OVER A FOOT TO NIAGARA COUNTY BUT WAS LARGELY MIXED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER. JANUARY WAS QUITE MILD AND OPEN FOR ITS FIRST THREE WEEKS WITH MOSTLY BARE GROUND...BUT COLDER WEATHER RETURNED FOR ITS LAST THIRD...USHERED IN BY A MASSIVE LAKE SNOW ACROSS OSWEGO COUNTY ON 19-21ST. THE MAJOR EVENTS DURING JANUARY WERE TWO DAMAGING WINDSTORMS ON THE 9TH AND 30TH...THE LATTER CAUSING LAKE ERIE TO RISE TO ITS HIGHEST LEVEL IN OVER 22 YEARS AT BUFFALO. FEBRUARY WAS WET SNOWY AND CHANGEABLE. A MAJOR STORM BROUGHT A PLETHORA OF PRECIPITATION TYPES TO WESTERN NEW YORK DURING THE FIRST WEEK...BUT WELL OVER A FOOT OF SNOW TO TORONTO...THEN TWO MASSIVE LAKE EFFECT SNOWS BURIED OSWEGO COUNTY ON 10-11TH AND 19-20TH. PERHAPS THE MOST WINTRY MONTH THIS SEASON WAS MARCH. THE FIRST WEEK SAW A CONTINUATION OF THE ACTIVE STORM TRACK WITH A MIXED PRECIPITATION EVENT ON 4-5TH QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY THE SEASON`S LARGEST SNOWSTORM ACROSS WESTERN AREAS ON 7-9TH WITH WELL OVER A FOOT FALLING FROM BUFFALO TO ROCHESTER. MARCH QUIETED DOWN THEREAFTER BUT UNSEASONABLE CHILL KEPT SNOW ON THE GROUND UNTIL THE FINAL WEEK. OVERALL SEASON SNOWFALL TOPPED OUT AT WELL OVER 200 INCHES ACROSS THE TUG HILL AND INTERIOR OSWEGO COUNTY...WITH OVER 150 INCHES ALONG THE CHAUTAUQUA RIDGE AND INTO SOUTHERN ERIE AND WYOMING COUNTIES IN WESTERN NEW YORK. LESSER AMOUNTS FELL ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORE AND OVER THE ALLEGHENY RIVER VALLEY. THE BUFFALO AREA CAUGHT NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL... FROM AROUND 80 INCHES ACROSS THE NORTH TOWNS AND CITY TO 100 INCHES OR SO EAST AND SOUTH OF THE CITY. ROCHESTER AREA HAD SIMILAR AMOUNTS...80 TO 100 INCHES ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. NIAGARA AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES RECEIVED WELL ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL...IN THE 80 TO 100 INCH RANGE...WITH THIS PATTERN CONTINUING OVER THE BORDER TO TORONTO. SNOW COVERED THE GROUND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THIS WINTER...BUT RAPID CHANGES WITH THE FREQUENT STORM PASSAGES DID NOT ALLOW THE SNOWPACK TO BUILD UP. TEMPERATURES THIS WINTER WERE CLOSE TO NORMAL WITH LITTLE SEVERE COLD. JANUARY WAS MILD AND MARCH COLD...THE REMAINING MONTHS WERE CLOSE TO AVERAGE. AND ONE LAST NOTE...APRIL TO DATE (24TH) HAS BEEN REMARKABLY WARM AND DRY. IT WILL THREATEN TO BE THE WARMEST AND SUNNIEST IN HISTORY. NO MEASURABLE SNOW HAS FALLEN. HERE ARE SOME REPRESENTATIVE SEASON TOTALS BY COUNTY. MULTIPLE REPORTS FROM THE SAME TOWN OR CITY HAVE BEEN AVERAGED... ...NIAGARA COUNTY... .LOCKPORT.......106 INCHES .MIDDLEPORT..... 95 INCHES .YOUNGSTOWN..... 94 INCHES .NIAGARA FALLS.. 88 INCHES .NO.TONAWANDA... 87 INCHES .LEWISTON....... 78 INCHES ...ORLEANS COUNTY... .LYNDONVILLE.... 89 INCHES .ALBION......... 71 INCHES ...ERIE COUNTY (NORTH)... .BUFFALO (SO.)..112 INCHES .BUFFALO (NO.).. 73 INCHES (DEL.PARK) .BUFFALO (CITY). 72 INCHES .ALDEN..........113 INCHES .CHEEKTOWAGA....103.8 INCHES (NWS BUF AIRPORT) .AMHERST........102 INCHES .LANCASTER......100 INCHES .WEST SENECA.... 93 INCHES .CLARENCE....... 90 INCHES .LACKAWANNA..... 87 INCHES .DEPEW.......... 86 INCHES .TONAWANDA (TWP) 82 INCHES .GRAND ISLAND... 80 INCHES .E. AMHERST..... 78 INCHES .KENMORE........ 76 INCHES ...ERIE COUNTY (SOUTH)... .N. BOSTON......156 INCHES .COLDEN.........154 INCHES .EDEN...........153 INCHES .BOSTON.........151 INCHES .CHAFFEE........111 INCHES .E. AURORA......110 INCHES .WALES..........109 INCHES .ORCHARD PARK... 94 INCHES .HAMBURG (VILL). 86 INCHES .HAMBURG (LKSH). 80 INCHES (BLASDELL) ...GENESEE COUNTY... .DARIEN CTR.....118 INCHES .BATAVIA........105 INCHES .LEROY.......... 84 INCHES .BASOM.......... 84 INCHES .PAVILION....... 75 INCHES ...WYOMING COUNTY... .WARSAW (HILL)..182 INCHES .BENNINGTON.....129 INCHES .PERRY..........114 INCHES .PORTAGEVILLE... 77 INCHES ...CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY... .MAYVILLE.......198 INCHES .STOCKTON.......177 INCHES .SINCLAIRVILLE..156 INCHES .ELLINGTON......134 INCHES .FORESTVILLE....133 INCHES .BEMUS POINT....119 INCHES .FREWSBURG......100 INCHES .JAMESTOWN...... 98 INCHES .DUNKIRK........ 83 INCHES .FREDONIA....... 67 INCHES ...CATTARAUGUS COUNTY... .PERRYSBURG.....212 INCHES .S.DAYTON.......181 INCHES .ELLICOTTVILLE..164 INCHES .YORKSHIRE......134 INCHES .LITTLE VALLEY..128 INCHES .WEST VALLEY....112 INCHES .FRANKLINVILLE..109 INCHES .CATTARAUGUS....105 INCHES .NEW ALBION..... 98 INCHES .ALLEGANY....... 93 INCHES .SALAMANCA...... 85 INCHES .RANDOLPH....... 84 INCHES .OLEAN.......... 67 INCHES ...ALLEGANY COUNTY... .BIRDSALL.......109 INCHES .RUSHFORD.......103 INCHES .FRIENDSHIP..... 87 INCHES .ALFRED......... 83 INCHES .ANGELICA....... 73 INCHES .WELLSVILLE..... 61 INCHES .WHITESVILLE.... 54 INCHES ...MONROE COUNTY... .ROCHESTER ARPT.106.0 INCHES (NWS) .ROCHESTER (CTY) 99 INCHES .ROCHESTER (N).. 93 INCHES (CHARLOTTE) .HAMLIN.........119 INCHES .PERINTON.......109 INCHES .BROCKPORT...... 94 INCHES .GREECE......... 92 INCHES .PENFIELD....... 91 INCHES .WEBSTER........ 87 INCHES .CHILI.......... 86 INCHES .PITTSFORD...... 80 INCHES .MENDON......... 75 INCHES .SCOTTSVILLE.... 68 INCHES ...WAYNE COUNTY... .NEWARK.........101 INCHES .PALMYRA........ 96 INCHES .MARION......... 93 INCHES .SODUS CTR...... 82 INCHES ...LIVINGSTON COUNTY... .SCOTTSBURG.....103 INCHES .WAYLAND........101 INCHES (STEUBEN CO.) .LIVONIA........ 92 INCHES .GENESEO........ 77 INCHES .DANSVILLE...... 65 INCHES .NUNDA.......... 60 INCHES .AVON........... 59 INCHES ...ONTARIO COUNTY... .CANANDAIGUA.... 66 INCHES .HONEOYE LAKE... 61 INCHES .GENEVA......... 57 INCHES ...CAYUGA COUNTY... .CATO-MERIDIAN..132 INCHES .FAIR HAVEN.....126 INCHES .MONTEZUMA...... 91 INCHES ...OSWEGO COUNTY... .REDFIELD.......308 INCHES .BENNETTS BRG...280 INCHES .PULASKI........248 INCHES .LACONA.........219 INCHES .PALERMO........198 INCHES .OSWEGO.........193 INCHES (CITY) .FULTON.........187 INCHES .MEXICO.........184 INCHES .MINETTO........179 INCHES .OSWEGO.........173 INCHES (SW) .SCRIBA.........172 INCHES .W. MONROE......165 INCHES .OSWEGO.........160 INCHES (EAST) .HANNIBAL.......154 INCHES .CONSTANTIA......104 INCHES ...LEWIS COUNTY... .BARNES CORNRS..242 INCHES .HOOKER.........223 INCHES .HIGHMARKET.....220 INCHES .LOWVILLE.......150 INCHES .PORT LEYDEN....138 INCHES ...JEFFERSON COUNTY... .CARTHAGE.......146 INCHES .ADAMS..........123 INCHES .REDWOOD........ 99 INCHES .BROWNVILLE..... 98 INCHES .CLAYTON........ 93 INCHES .WATERTOWN...... 92 INCHES .HENDERSON...... 90 INCHES ...SOUTHERN ONTARIO CANADA... .ST. CATHARINES. 85 INCHES .TORONTO........ 83 INCHES (CITY) .VINELAND....... 76 INCHES AGAIN WE THANK OUR OVER 200 CO-OPERATIVE OBSERVERS AND SNOWSPOTTER VOLUNTEERS FOR INFORMATION USED IN THIS REPORT. $$ MCLAUGHLIN