Buffalo, New York, is no stranger to blizzards. In fact, if you take a look at newspapers from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries, you’ll see that headlines of local publications often have the term “blizzard” or “snowstorm” in them.
Snowmelt with flooding in Buffalo is a potential threat. Its reputation for heavy snow has long been established. For instance, from 1940 to 2019, Buffalo has won the Golden Snowball Award multiple times. This award is given to the city which receives the most snowfall for the season. The competition is between five New York cities—Albany, Buffalo, Binghamton, Rochester, and Syracuse—and the City of Light has bagged this award 15 times.
Annual Snowfall in Buffalo New York
Buffalo’s average annual snowfall from 1940 to 2024 ranges from around 70 inches to just past 100 inches, according to unofficial data from the National Weather Service (NWS). The 1970s was the decade with the highest average annual snowfall at about 107 inches, while the 2023-2024 season recorded the lowest average annual snowfall at around 71 inches.
Table 1. Average annual snowfall in Buffalo, New York
| Years | Average Annual Snowfall (in inches) |
| 1940-1950 | 77.99 |
| 1950-1960 | 95.87 |
| 1960-1970 | 87.09 |
| 1970-1980 | 107.19 |
| 1980-1990 | 86.51 |
| 1990-2000 | 90.95 |
| 2000-2010 | 105.76 |
| 2010-2020 | 88.16 |
| 2020-2021 | 77.2 |
| 2021-2022 | 97.4 |
| 2022-2023 | 133.6 |
| 2023-2024 | 71.3 |
Source: National Weather Service
There were more than 30 seasons where Buffalo registered an average annual snowfall of over 100 inches. The 1976-1977 season nearly reached 200 inches!
Table 2. Top annual snowfall years in Buffalo, New York
| Years | Average Annual Snowfall |
| 1976-1977 | 199.4 |
| 2000-2001 | 158.7 |
| 1977-1978 | 154.3 |
| 1995-1996 | 141.4 |
| 2022-2023 | 133.6 |
| 1983-1984 | 132.5 |
| 2001-2002 | 132.4 |
| 2013-2014 | 129.9 |
| 1957-1958 | 124.7 |
| 1944-1945 | 120.7 |
| 1969-1970 | 120.5 |
| 2018-2019 | 118.8 |
| 1959-1960 | 115.6 |
| 1985-1986 | 114.7 |
| 1958-1959 | 114.5 |
| 1956-1957 | 113.7 |
| 2014-2015 | 112.9 |
| 1993-1994 | 112.7 |
| 1981-1982 | 112.4 |
| 2017-2018 | 112.3 |
| 2010-2011 | 111.8 |
| 2002-2003 | 111.3 |
| 1945-1946 | 110.5 |
| 1971-1972 | 109.9 |
| 2004-2005 | 109.1 |
| 1984-1985 | 107.2 |
| 1955-1956 | 105.2 |
| 2007-2008 | 103.8 |
| 1960-1960 | 102.4 |
| 1961-1962 | 101.4 |
| 2003-2004 | 100.9 |
| 1998-1999 | 100.5 |
| 2008-2009 | 100.2 |
Source: National Weather Service
Lake-Effect Snowfall
Buffalo, New York, is situated on the eastern edge of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. While there are many benefits to being next to a lake—one of the Great Lakes at that—come snow season, the city has to brace for lake-effect storms.
Lake-effect snow is a phenomenon that produces heavy snowfall, which can reach several inches in a short time. For instance, a snow storm in the Buffalo area over one weekend resulted in 6 feet of snow. The sheer weight of the snow crushed roofs and people.
It all starts with cold, dry air from the north, i.e., Canada. When this cold, dry air passes over the Great Lakes, whose waters are relatively warmer, it sucks up more moisture that cools as it rises and eventually falls as snow. If the difference in temperature between the air and the water is large, it creates more snowfall.
Typically, lake-effect snow begins in late autumn. By mid November, the first measurable snow typically falls, although snow cover doesn’t become stable until mid December. In Buffalo, late November and early December are when many of the city’s snowstorms occur. “In a typical year, annual snowfall in the ‘lee,’ or downwind, of the Great Lakes approaches 200 inches in some places,” the World Economic Forum states.
Buffalo NY Snowmelt and Its Effects
Snow accumulates during the cold season, but when temperatures begin to warm, you might start to notice significant melting of the snow into water. The result of solid snow melting into liquid is snowmelt.
It isn’t a bad thing per se. In fact, snowmelt is a major contributor to springtime runoff and most of the water that flows into rivers. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “As much as 75 percent of water supplies in some western states are derived from snowmelt.”
However, snowmelt runoff varies from season to season as well as by year. One year, it might not be significant enough to present any issues, but another year, it might raise concerns about potential flooding.
- Snowmelt Flooding in Buffalo New York
Flooding is just one of the potential problems associated with snowmelt, especially in the Buffalo area of New York. Flooding occurs when there is a significant amount of snow melting for a short period of time.
There are many factors that contribute to the melting of snow. One of them is rainfall.
In a research conducted by Stephen Vermette, professor of geography at Buffalo State University, it was found that warm rainfall significantly speeds up the melting process of shallow snowpacks because of the additional heat it introduces to the snow. On the other hand, freezing rain slows down the melting process by forming a crust over the snow, which serves as insulation that keeps the snow cold.
Vermette also found that rain falling on thicker snowpacks is absorbed and frozen. The result is an increase in the water content of the snowpack. Meanwhile, in snow that is a foot or less, 40-degree rain can potentially double the snowmelt, but a 50-degree rain increases the chance of melting by around 50%.
Aside from rainfall, the other factors that contribute to the melting of snow include the temperature of the ground, the quality of the snow, wind conditions, and the intensity of the sun.
- Ice Jam Flooding in Buffalo New York
Another type of flooding brought about by snowmelt is ice jam flooding. Ice jams happen when ice accumulates in a particular location in a body of water, such as rivers or creeks, which restricts the flow of water.
A river or creek freezes over during winter. But, as temperatures begin to rise, the ice in these frozen bodies of water begin to break up. The broken ice has a tendency to clump together and block waterways, which leads to flooding.
In New York, ice jams are frequent events, particularly in creeks and rivers around Buffalo.