Due to a warm January, very little ice cover existed on Lake Erie and by extension, Lake Ontario. While water temperatures were cold, open water combined with the influx of the first Arctic outbreak of the season combined with nearly stationary flow for two days yielded strong lake effect snow bands behind the passage of a cold front. Very gusty conditions allowed for these bands to develop localized blizzard conditions for large portions of the day in the Buffalo and Watertown areas before the wind settled down to just below blizzard criteria again. During the strongest portion of the event, wind gusts in heavy snow were reported up to 47 mph at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, 45 mph in Wyoming, 40 mph at Niagara Falls Airport, and 43 mph at the Watertown Airport with consistent visibilities during a period around the highest gusts of one quarter of a mile or less as observed on webcams or automated observations. Total snowfall over the multi-day event was 37.6 inches in Watertown, 19 inches in Harrisville, 11.7 inches in North Boston, 20 inches in Attica, 14 inches in Corfu, and 21 inches in Buffalo. A massive snow removal effort was mobilized utilizing state resources from as far away as Long Island to cope with widespread blowing and drifting snow that made the already heavy snow amounts extreme difficult to deal with, particularly given that temperatures had fallen off toward 0 degrees by the end of the event.

Winter Storm in NIAGARA, NEW YORK
From 29-JAN-19 10:30:00 to 30-JAN-19 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in JEFFERSON, NEW YORK
From 28-JAN-19 22:00:00 to 31-JAN-19 23:30:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in OSWEGO, NEW YORK
From 28-JAN-19 22:00:00 to 31-JAN-19 23:30:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in NORTHERN ERIE, NEW YORK
From 29-JAN-19 10:30:00 to 31-JAN-19 19:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Winter Storm in LEWIS, NEW YORK
From 28-JAN-19 22:00:00 to 31-JAN-19 23:30:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Winter Storm in WYOMING, NEW YORK
From 29-JAN-19 16:00:00 to 31-JAN-19 19:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Winter Storm in GENESEE, NEW YORK
From 29-JAN-19 16:00:00 to 31-JAN-19 19:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Storm in ORLEANS, NEW YORK
From 29-JAN-19 10:30:00 to 30-JAN-19 12:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Blizzard in NORTHERN ERIE, NEW YORK
From 30-JAN-19 15:00:00 to 30-JAN-19 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard in GENESEE, NEW YORK
From 30-JAN-19 15:00:00 to 30-JAN-19 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Blizzard in WYOMING, NEW YORK
From 30-JAN-19 15:00:00 to 30-JAN-19 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Blizzard in SOUTHERN ERIE, NEW YORK
From 30-JAN-19 15:00:00 to 30-JAN-19 21:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Blizzard in JEFFERSON, NEW YORK
From 30-JAN-19 16:00:00 to 30-JAN-19 22:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Blizzard in LEWIS, NEW YORK
From 30-JAN-19 16:00:00 to 30-JAN-19 22:00:00 (EST-5)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet