BUFFALO, N.Y. — Despite some hefty snowfalls around Buffalo over the past two seasons, much of western and central New York has been dealing with a snow drought over the past two years.
This year's snow season is rivaling the lack of snow that fell during last year's snow season to date.
Here are a few examples. Buffalo has received 53.6" of snow this season which is over one foot below average.
Rochester has picked up 34.4" of snow w this season, which is nearly 30" below average for the date. Where the snow drought is most severe is in Syracuse. Syracuse often is the snowiest metropolitan area in all of New York and has won the Golden Snow Globe many times. However this season, only 28" of snow has fallen in Syracuse, which is over 54" below average.. that's over four feet below their average.
Because of the El Niño weather pattern that developed over the fall and winter season, below normal snowfall was expected over much of New York State. However, the snowfall deficits are quite something. There has been a lack of storm systems to move through the state, and those that have moved though have brought more rain than snow. There's also has been a lack of lake effect snows in the typical snow belts
The weather pattern that has been relatively snowless over the past few weeks, but is expected to change next week. A colder and snowier pattern is expected to develop, and it may last through the end of the month and into March which may cause the drought to ease just a bit.
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