After brief respite from the January cold, and lake effect snow, arctic air flowed over the eastern Great Lakes Sunday, January 17th, with early weekend air temperatures in the 40s plummeting back below freezing. The lake effect snows began during the morning.
Off of Lake Erie, a moderate snow band developed Niagara County and remained through the early afternoon hours.  As winds veered the snow band began to drift south. Snow fell across the metro Buffalo region Sunday afternoon at the rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. The band of snow maintained its southward movement, and yielded 4 to 6 inches over the Buffalo metro area. By Sunday evening the band of snow was over the ski country and the western Southern Tier.  By Monday morning a wide area of light to moderate lake effect snow continued east of Lake Erie. While the snowfall rates were not impressive, generally under an inch, the persistent state to the snow bands brought storm accumulations upwards to a foot to a foot and a half by Monday night. Lake effect snow slowly trailed off through the overnight hours Monday and early morning hours of Tuesday. Specific storm totals off Lake Erie included:  19 inches at Little Valley, 18 inches at Perrysburg, 17 inches at Randolph, 16 inches at Franklinville; and 12 inches at Mayville and Sardinia.
Off of Lake Ontario light snow fell across the Saint Lawrence valley through the early afternoon hours of Sunday, January 17th.   A well-defined band of lake effect snow formed late Sunday night, and early Monday morning on a westerly flow. This band of snow arced across northern Oswego County and the southern Tug Hill through the early morning hours of Monday, January 18th.  Just before dawn veering winds organized the band of lake effect snow over the Wayne-Cayuga-Oswego corridor. This band of snow increased in intensity to over 3 inches per hour by midday Monday bringing dangerous travel conditions over the southeast shoreline of Lake Ontario and inland. This band of snow at times had upstream connection to not only Georgian Bay but also Lake Superior. While the main band of lake effect snow off Lake Ontario flew over the southeast shoreline Monday, there was another band of snow, originating off Lake Huron, and across southwestern Lake Ontario that brought several inches of snow through the day across Niagara, Orleans and western Monroe counties. This northwest flow over Lake Ontario continued varying intensity to the snow bands through the night and into Tuesday, with subtle variations in the wind flow carrying the snows over the southern and southeastern shorelines. Though this event ended Tuesday, light to moderate bands of snow continued along the southern and southeastern shorelines of Lake Ontario through Thursday adding several additional inches of snow. Specific storm totals off Lake Ontario included:  22 inches at Fulton, 19 inches at Redfield, 17 inches at Mannsville, 15 inches at Osceola, 13 inches at Irondequoit, 12 inches at Lorraine, 11 inches at Pulaski, 10 inches at Marion and 9 inches at Sterling.

Lake-Effect Snow in OSWEGO, NEW YORK
From 17-JAN-16 08:00:00 to 19-JAN-16 18:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 30.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Lake-Effect Snow in CHAUTAUQUA, NEW YORK
From 17-JAN-16 14:00:00 to 19-JAN-16 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 30.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Lake-Effect Snow in CATTARAUGUS, NEW YORK
From 17-JAN-16 14:00:00 to 19-JAN-16 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 30.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Lake-Effect Snow in MONROE, NEW YORK
From 18-JAN-16 08:00:00 to 19-JAN-16 13:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 25.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Social Media

Lake-Effect Snow in WAYNE, NEW YORK
From 18-JAN-16 02:00:00 to 19-JAN-16 18:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 20.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Lake-Effect Snow in NORTHERN CAYUGA, NEW YORK
From 18-JAN-16 02:00:00 to 19-JAN-16 18:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 18.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Lake-Effect Snow in SOUTHERN ERIE, NEW YORK
From 17-JAN-16 08:00:00 to 19-JAN-16 03:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 18.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Social Media

Lake-Effect Snow in JEFFERSON, NEW YORK
From 17-JAN-16 08:00:00 to 18-JAN-16 06:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 30.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Lake-Effect Snow in LEWIS, NEW YORK
From 17-JAN-16 08:00:00 to 18-JAN-16 06:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 20.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS