Nor'Easter Makes This Second Snowiest Season for Syracuse

FOR RELEASE: March 6, 2001

Contact: Blaine P. Friedlander, Jr.Office: 607-255-3290E-Mail: [email protected]

N.Y. -- Thanks to the early March nor'easter that has dumped more than 17 inches of snow on the city of salt, this has become the second snowiest season ever for Syracuse, N.Y. In fact, Syracuse is the snowiest city in the Northeast, according to climatologists at Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

With a total of 171.9 inches through 11:59 p.m., March 5, Syracuse is about 20 inches shy of breaking the old snow record, set in the winter of 1992-93. That season included the "storm of the century" on March 13 to 14, 1993, that dumped 42 inches on Syracuse. The normal winter snowfall amount in the city is 110.3 inches, according to the center.

Can Syracuse beat that old record this year? "It's certainly possible," says Keith Eggleston, senior climatologist at the center. "We have the rest of March, and in the past there have been significant snowfalls -- as much as 10 to 12 inches -- in April. "

Rounding out the top five snowiest places in the Northeast this season, through March 5, are second-place Buffalo, N.Y., with 137.1 inches, which is far from the record 199.4 inches set in 1976-77.

Erie, Pa., holds third place for now at 119.5 inches. The snowiest season Erie has ever seen was in 1977-78 when 142.8 inches fell.

Rochester, N.Y., last year's snowiest city in the Northeast, is at fourth place with 103.3 inches. The record is 167 inches, set in 1959-60.

The fifth snowiest place in the Northeast -- Caribou, Maine -- has seen 92.9 inches of snow this season, which is not close to breaking its 182.9 inch record set in 1954-55. The normal seasonal snowfall for Caribou is 100 inches.

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Seasonal Snowfall Summary for the Northeast(all values in inches)

City                    Seasonal Snowfall
October 1, 2000 
-- March 5, 2001Syracuse, N.Y. 171.9Buffalo, N.Y. 137.1Erie, Pa. 119.5Rochester, N.Y. 103.3Caribou, Maine 92.9Burlington, Vt. 89.5Binghamton, N.Y. 85.5Portland, ME 64.0Elkins, W.Va. 60.8Albany, N.Y. 57.9Cleveland, Ohio 54.9Concord, N.H. 54.3Bridgeport, Conn. 38.7Williamsport, Pa. 36.4Newark, N.J. 35.2New York City 33.2Boston 31.3Pittsburgh 30.5Harrisburg, Pa. 28.0Philadelphia 25.3Charleston, W.Va. 16.3Washington (National Airport) 12.1Baltimore 7.7

Data compiled by the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.