2010-2011 was another"blocky" period..
Oswego county did do well starting in January..
JANUARY 2011
January was a consistently cold and snowy winter month for all of western and central New York. The major thaw on the 1st with temperatures in the 50s melted just about all the snow and ice from December, but nearly constant subfreezing temperatures and daily snowfalls were the rule for the rest of the month. The snowfall was amazingly consistent...with measurable amounts falling on 25 to 27 days...but the falls were virtually all "nickel and dime" with Buffalo's largest fall just 3". The region missed all the major storms which affected the east coast and near south. Totals were near to slightly above normal...mainly due to the frequency of the falls. There was one exception...Oswego county...which was nailed by all three lake effect events...on 2-5th, 15-16th, and 21-22nd. Monthly totals topped 100" across much of that county.
FEBRUARY 2011
February was another very wintry month across the region...and snowfall was fairly heavy and above normal across most areas. This time however, snowfall was mainly synoptic as the blocking pattern broke down and allowed for a storm track up into the Northeast...providing our region with several rounds of synoptic snow. Significant falls occurred on the 2nd and 25th while lighter but disruptive snows of a few inches occurred on 5th, 12th, 19-21st and 26th. Only one major lake effect "event" occurred...and it focused on Oswego county and the southern Tug Hill on 9-11th. The winter has been relentless with near record number of days below freezing and days with measurable snow...but no huge snowstorms have affected our region. It was the coldest winter in 8 years and 3rd coldest in last 30 years. Snow has covered the ground on all but a handful of days during the 3 month period.
MARCH 2011
March was changeable as usual...but still more on the wintry side. Unlike the past two Marches, we did get snow...but all of it was synoptic and mainly fell in two events...on 6th and 23rd. The event on the 6th was heaviest across eastern areas...with up to 6" east of the Genesee...while the event of the 23rd focused more on western NY with up to 8". Monthly totals were near normal but varied little from place to place...slightly more in western NY and less east of Lake Ontario