**LAKE EFFECT STORM "APPLE"**

December 13 -- 14, 2004

Maximum Snowfall: Lk.Erie 24" (Stockton); Lk. Ontario 12" (Marion).

Duration: 48 hours +/-

Prime Feature: Belated first event of season. Interraction with arctic
front.

The mild 2004-05 season got off to a very late start with our first
event being about a month later than normal. Only the mild winter of
01-02 started later. Our initial event was a healthy one though with up
to two feet falling along the ridges of Chautauqua county. As is often
the case with early season storms, elevation played a part with the
lakeshore areas like Dunkirk only getting 4 or 5 inches total. The bulk
of the event fell during the first 6 to 12 hours and this was focused
almost exclusively off Lake Erie when winds were westerly. After the
passage of an arctic front the winds turned northwesterly...leading to a
longer period of lighter snows in multiple bands off both lakes and even
some upstream connections with Huron and Georgian Bay. Several inches of
snow did fall during this 24 to 36 hour period...with up to a foot
southeast of Lake Ontario from Wayne to Oswego counties.

The event began around midnight on 12-13^th^ off Lake Erie as a deep low
moved across southern Ontario to our north. Mild air over western New
York resulted in precipitation falling as rain as the cold front
approached...but cold advection and veering winds to about 240-250 set
up a band of mixed rain and snow over the Buffalo metro area shortly
after midnight. Winds continued to veer as the cold air deepened so that
the band turned to snow as it drifted south across southern Erie and
Wyoming counties early Monday morning. The snow was at its most intense
between 4 am and noon Monday (13^th^) when 8 to 12 inches fell across
the Boston hills. An arctic front then dropped south during the
afternoon and evening...disrupting the main band...but causing some
locally heavy snows down across Chautauqua and western Cattaraugus
counties. This activity continued on south with some very heavy snows
down in the Erie and Cleveland areas by Monday evening. Lighter activity
continued into Tuesday on a northwest flow with general 1 to 4 inch
falls across all of western areas...some from upstream lakes.

Off Lake Ontario...the event really didn't get going until the passage
of the arctic front late Monday. General light to moderate snows fell
for a good 24 to 30 hours from late Monday into Tuesday night on a 320
flow so bands were multiple. The steadiest snows fell in the Rochester
area early Tuesday and further east across Oswego county later Tuesday
and Tuesday evening. There were also a couple inches Tuesday evening
over Niagara and Orleans counties as a final short wave enhanced the
activity as it dropped through. All activity ended early Wednesday
(15^th^) as ridging and lowering inversions moved in.

Here are some representative reports....

Off Erie... Off Ontario....

-Stockton......24 inches Marion.......12 inches

-Sinclairville.. 20 inches Williamson.. 9 inches

-Perrysburg... 19 inches West Monroe 8 inches

-Boston/Colden 14 inches Phoenix ..... 8 inches

-Yorkshire..... 13 inches Fairport...... 6 inches

-Warsaw....... 11 inches Fulton........ 6 inches

The event was a decent initial storm with significant accumulations. It
had little impact though as it was well forecasted and focused mainly on
ski areas south of Buffalo. The metro areas were impaced
little...Rochester 3 to 6 inches...Buffalo just 1-2". But there were
amounts of up to two feet...so the event earns **\*\*\* 3 Stars \*\*\***

**File:Apple**