Ready Or Not: Powerful Snowstorm To Hit New York

Ready or not, here comes the snow. And by the looks of things, it could be a LOT for parts of New York State!

A powerful storm is on the way a week before Thanksgiving. It'll begin east of the Rockies and make it's way towards the Great Lakes.

The National Weather Service expects the "hazardous storm" to intensity as it moves towards New York, bringing high winds along with a ton of snow.

Winter at Whiteface Summit

Whiteface has already seen it's first dose of winter weather. The first flakes of the season fell on September 8, several weeks earlier than 2022 and over a month sooner than last year.

Temperatures dropped to 36 degrees at the Whiteface Mountain Field Station with wind gusts making it feel well below zero....in AUGUST!

Lake Effect Snow Coming to Great Lakes

Heavy Lake Effect snow is expected to hit between November 21 to November 23 along the Great Lakes.

Lake effect snow occurs when cold air passes over warm water. The colder the air and the warmer the water, the more intense the snow can be. With the recent stretch of unusually mild temperatures this fall, this storm could be a doozy.

Earliest Snowfall in New York

Winter doesn't officially begin until December 21 but sometimes we get snow long before the season starts.

Lowville received 4 inches as early as October 1 back in 1944. Two years later 6 inches fell at the Syracuse Hancock Airport on the same day.

Earliest New York Snow

October 1, 1944: 4 inches of snow in Lowville
October 1, 1946: .6 inches of snow at Syracuse Hancock Airport
November 1, 1951: 1 inch of snow in Delta
October 14, 1958: 1.5 inches of snow in Forestport
September 27, 1980: .3 inches of snow in Old Forge-heavy
October 11, 1987: 4 inches of snow at Oneida County Airport
Octber 22, 1988: 1.1 inches of snow in Frankfort

Hardy Central New Yorkers don't mind a little snow early or even late. Although there hasn't been much of it over the past several years.

Whatever winter holds, we can handle what Mother Nature dishes out. We'll just stock up on sweaters, gas up the snowmobiles, and wax up the skis. Bring on the snow.