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Today in Western New York Weather History

Western New York Weather History

Buffalo, NY -- The week of December 3rd in Western New York weather history reminds us of many snowstorms.

December 3

1989: Snow up to two feet reported: Perrysburg 12" and West Valley received 18", Chaffee in Erie county reported 12".

December 4

1991: Snow: Little Valley 11", Ellicottville 10", Dunkirk 8", Mayville 17", Jamestown 12-18", Casadaga 20", Springville 6".

December 8

1937: Heavy lake effect snowfall: 13.5 inches in the Hertel Ave area in Buffalo, while only 5.5 inches fell in downtown Buffalo.

December 9

1966: A thaw caused rapid snowmelt and damage around Chautauqua Lake which rose to flood levels.

December 10

1995: Snow storm: Buffalo 38", Cheektowaga and Lancaster 36", Depew 33", Clarence 32", Williamsville 31", Amherst 28", Kenmore 21", Elma and Alden 19", West Seneca 17", and Town of Tonawanda 11".

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of November 26th in Western New York weather history reminds us damaging winds and more snow events.

November 26

1979: A windstorm blew roofs off of some buildings and knocked a trailer over on the Thruway.

November 27

1989: Damaging wind gusts: 78 mph at Hamburg and 54 mph at Dunkirk.

November 28

1994: Winds gusting up to 67 mph with damage reported in Franklinville, Brockton, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Dunkirk, and Warsaw. Trees and power lines reported down from the gusts.

December 1

2006: Damaging gusty winds were recorded: 67 mph at Buffalo Airport, 65 mph at Hamburg, 62 mph at Lackawanna, 59 mph at Alfred, 58 mph at Elma.

December 2

1966: Snow storm brought 54" of snow to Mayville and more than 200 motorists and school children were stranded.

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Buffalo, NY -- This Thanksgiving week of November 19th in Western New York weather history reminds us of 12 foot snow drifts.

November 19

2000: Lake snows: Buffalo Airport 14", Lancaster 11", Amherst 10".

November 20

1989: Gusty winds caused 50,000 homes and businesses without power and trees down across the area. In Cheektowaga a roof was blown off a mobile home. Reported gusts: 81 mph at Jamestown, 63 mph at Buffalo, 61 mph at Niagara Falls.

November 21

1957: Heavy snow, 11.3 inches of snow was recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

November 22

2000: Erie, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus counties were declared federal disaster areas from heavy snow: Stockton 31", New Albion 30", Sherman 27", Buffalo 16-25", Amherst 24", Jamestown 22" and Ashford 15".

November 23

1970: State of Emergency declared in the town of Evans after two feet of deep snow and snow drifts estimated up to 12 feet. Nearly three feet reported in Hamburg and gusty winds greatly reduced visibilities.

November 24

2005: Thanksgiving Day snow storm: 24" at Ellicottville, 22" at South Dayton; 16" at Perrysburg; 13" at Sinclairville; 11" at Lancaster; 10" at Warsaw and 7" at Buffalo.

November 25

1990: Strong winds brought down trees and power lines.

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of November 12th in Western New York weather history, we remember the "Snowvember" storm of 2014.

November 12th

1992: High winds caused more than 100,000 people to be without power. Wind gusts peaked at 73 mph at Buffalo, 72 mph at Niagara Falls, 67 mph at Rochester. Storefront windows were reported blown in at Oakfield and Perry. Two people were injured in Batavia and Niagara Falls when they were struck while in their cars by tree limbs. High water levels along Lake Erie caused some flooding and residents in Hoover Beach in Hamburg had to be evacuated.

November 13th

1992: Lake effect snow accumulated off of Lake Erie: 25" Sherman, 23" Colden, 18" Chaffee and Boston, 12" Mayville and Eden, and 8" Evans.

2003: Strong winds caused power outages to more than 100,000 people and falling trees and poles caused damage to home and cars. In Stockton, 35 cattle were killed in a barn collapse. At the Buffalo-Niagara Airport a jet was turned by the wind, and in Buffalo a woman was blown over and suffered a broken leg.

November 14th

1997: Heavy snow dropped a daily record of 9.5 inches at the Buffalo Airport. Also 10-12 inches reported in West Seneca, Colden, Darien Center, and Portageville.

November 15th

1995: Heavy wet snow caused power outages and road closures. Up to 20 inches fell across most of Allegany county with over a foot from southern Erie, Wyoming counties southward: 17 inches in Wellsville, 15 inches in Strykersville, and 13 inches in Batavia and Brisol.

November 16th

1989: Gusty winds were reported and caused power outages: 55 mph Buffalo Airport, and 58 mph at Dunkirk.

November 17

2014: The "Snowvember" lake effect snow storm started in the evening on the 17th and lasted until the 21st. When the storm was over some communities were buried under more than 70 inches, even more than 80 inches of snow. Some of those areas included Cowlesville 88", Hamburg 80", West Seneca and South Buffalo near 80", Lancaster 74". The Buffalo Airport only picked up 16.9" of snow.

November 18

2014: The "Snowvember" lake effect snow storm continued through the 21st.

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of November 5th in Western New York weather history reminds us of many lake effect snow events and damaging winds.

November 5th

1982: Heavy lake snows accumulated, 12.3 inches in the metropolitan Buffalo area causing backed up traffic for hours and a lot of tree damage due to the weight of the snow. The 12.3 inches broke a record for the date and also a record for the biggest snowfall early in the season.

1990: Strong winds caused twenty thousand homes in Buffalo to lose power from gusty winds up to 64 mph.

November 6th

1950: In 24 hours 1.53" of rain was recorded at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Heavy rain across Western New York produced street flooding in many locations.

1967: Lake snows off Lake Erie dumped 28" in Mayville and the thruway was closed from Silver Creek to the PA border. In Buffalo 7" was reported.

1990: High winds gusting up to 61mph at the Buffalo Airport and 69mph at Dunkirk were reported. Trees and power lines were reported downed and some structural damage to homes in Lancaster.

1994: Strong winds funneling along Lake Erie brought down trees and power lies over areas closest to the eastern parts of the lake.

2005: Gusty winds up to 66 mph developed across the Niagara Frontier and brought down trees and power lines and 20,000 homes and businesses were without power. Large trees fell and crushed a car in Niagara Falls, a car and boat in Medina, and two cars in a garage in Blasdell. Also in Niagara Falls a 40 foot light standard fell on three police vehicles, and in Gerry the winds pushed a bus coach from Route 60. Even the Buffalo Airport was temporarily closed from the strong winds. Some peak wind gusts: 66 mph at West Seneca; 64 mph at Youngstown; 63 mph at Batavia; 62 mph at Barker; 60 mph at Lockport and Hamburg; and 59 mph at Albion, Buffalo and Grand Island. Finally, Lake Erie's water rose several feet from Ripley to Buffalo and waves of ten to fifteen feet caused some erosion of the lake shore and some property damage. Also some roads were closed. The water level rose above 8 foot flood stage to 8.5 feet.

2007: After the warmest 6 month stretch, heavy wet lake effect snow hit and power outages were reported from the weight of the snow and also snapped tree limbs. 8" of snow reported in Mayville, South Dayton and Ellicottville.

November 7th

1996: Severe storms downed trees and power lines and damage was reported in Frewsburg, North Harmony, and Mina.

November 8th

1996: Heavy rain and some flooding recorded east of Lake Ontario.

November 9th

1995: Lake effect snow 8 to 12 inches blanketed portions of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

2005: Storms downed trees and power lines causing power outages. One inch size hail was also reported. A vacant house was struck by lightning and set fire in Silver Creek.

November 10th

1975: Strong wind gusts up to 60 mph at the Buffalo Airport and reports of damage to boats and cottages in the town of Hamburg.

1988: Winds up to 68 mph gusted at the Buffalo Airport setting a new record for the month of November. Downed trees and power lines were reported across the area. A tractor trailer was blown over in Newstead and a large tree crushed a car in Buffalo. High waves collapsed a wall on River Road along Lake Erie.

1998: Gusty winds brought down a large tree limb which fell on a home, several windows were blown in, and many were without power including those in West Seneca, Clarence, and Lancaster.

November 11th

1977: Lake effect snow dropped up to 9 inches of wet snow over the northern suburbs of Buffalo which snapped power lines and large tree limbs, and four people were killed in car accidents.

1996: Arctic air produced lake effect snow, 20 to 40 inches off of Lake Erie!

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of October 29th in Western New York weather history reminds us of many lake effect snow events and damaging winds, and a Halloween snowstorm!

October 29th

1934:Several waterspouts were recorded near Buffalo including a waterspout visible from the Weather Bureau Office over Lake Erie just outside the outer break wall.

October 30th

1996:Damaging winds brought down some tree limbs and power lines causing tens of thousands of people to be without power. The winds tore a section of roof off a Buffalo Raceway Barn in Hamburg and a car was crushed by a falling tree in Tonawanda. Gusty winds up to 69mph were reported at the Buffalo Coast Guard station.

October 31th

1954:A snowstorm dumped up to 10 inches of snow over parts of Chautauqua county, and just an inch reported at the Buffalo Airport.

1963:It was the second driest October in 93 years in Buffalo with 23 days straight of no rain. There was a ban on hunting and low water levels dried up some well and streams and parks were closed.

November 1st

1973:Gusty winds from a storm caused waves up to 10 feet and caused beach erosion in Hoover Beach and several boats also sunk in Small Boat Harbor.

1993:A Snowstorm dropped 6 to 14 inches of heavy wet snow over the southern tier which downed trees and power lines and also caused many vehicle accidents.

1996:Heavy lake effect snow produced 6 to 9 inches off of Lake Erie and caused some car accidents.

November 2nd

1966:Lake effect snow storm piled two feet of snow from south Buffalo through Lancaster, starting with a foot over Lewiston before shifting south.

1992:Strong winds brought down some trees causing damage to homes and cars in Dunkirk, Brocton and Ripley.

1999:Gusty winds brought down trees and power lines and windows were blown out in a showroom in Arcade.

November 3rd

1985: Heavy rain of more than 5 inches from remnants of hurricane Juan, broke daily records in Buffalo three days in a row starting on the 3rd. Flooding was reported in many locations, including Chautauqua Lake, the Chadokoin River, and Cassadaga, Conewango, and Smokes Creeks.

1991: More than 6 inches of snow hit Buffalo, Tonawanda (6"), Amherst, Lancaster (7") and Cheektowaga (8") from lake effect. Daily record snowfall of 5.2" was recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

1999: Record rainfall was recorded at the Buffalo Airport with more than 3" of rain falling in just a few hours. Flooding caused the evacuation of hundreds in Niagara County and in Tonawanda the closure of two polling places.

Lake effect snow then developed and dumped more than a foot of snow in spots: Ellicottville 14", New Albion 11", Little Valley 10".

November 4th

1991: Lake effect snow accumulated off of Lake Erie: Cheektowaga 8", Lancaster 7", Tonawanda 6".

1995: Heavy wet snow off the lakes accumulated in parts of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties of up to 8".

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of October 22nd in Western New York weather history reminds us of early season storms that dumped 2 feet of snow, and caused flash flooding.

October 22nd

1976: Heavy snow hit Mayville and up to 12 inches of snow in Cherry Creek and 9 inches in Little Valley. Schools were closed in Andover, Belmont and Cuba from the heavy snow which brought down tree limbs onto power lines in many locations.

October 23rd

1953: Forest fires happened and all state forests and parks were closed, after a 31 day stretch of dry conditions with very little rain.

October 24th

1937: Snow and strong winds caused accidents just south of Buffalo. And a 60 foot sailboat near Point Abino, Canada was abandoned by its five crew members as it went down from the winds which eventually crashed against the northern breakwall at the foot of Porter Street.

October 25th

1980: Rain from a strong storm system measured up to 3.5 inches causing Buffalo and Cayuga creeks to flood. Five people were killed in an accident in the Buffalo area while driving in the heavy rain. Rain ended as snow and up to 5 inches of snow was reported over parts of the western southern tier. Gusty winds tossed some small boats ashore and were damaged in Buffalo Harbor. Waves washed ashore and closed Old Lake Shore Road.

2001:Damaging winds brought down trees and power lines in Buffalo, Lockport and Royalton. A large tree also crushed a minivan and two people in it were injured.

October 26th

1967:Heavy lake effect rain, snow, sleet and hail centered over the Buffalo Airport and localized flooding was reported.

October 27th

1981:Heavy rain caused flash flooding in Allegany country and families were evacuated in Wellsville and Scio, also four school districts were forced to close.

October 28th

1983:Gusty winds up to 61mph were reported at the Buffalo Airport. In Bergen, a seven year old boy was killed when a tree branch fell and hit him.

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of October 15th, 2018 in Western New York weather history reminds us of snow storms, waterspouts near Buffalo and trees falling on cars.

October 15th

1954: Strong winds by remnants of hurricane Hazel caused damage.

October 16th

1984: Dense fog was reported across much of Western New York.

1992: Damaging winds were reported in the Buffalo metro area bringing down some trees and power lines. Wind gusts up to 58 mph were recorded along Lake Ontario.

October 17th

1947: Record high temperatures of 80 degrees in Buffalo then 85 degrees on October 17th, and then 84 degrees made for a three day stretch of record highs that year.

2001: Downed trees were recorded in Salamanca, Jamestown, and Colden from strong winds.

October 18th

1967: Up to 4 inches of rain was recorded in the hills of Cattaraugus county.

1981: Wind gusts up to 56mph at the Buffalo Airport, and 6500 homes lost power locally. Some beach erosion happened on the east shore of Lake Erie.

1988: Gusty winds caused power outages and in Kenmore a large tree was blown onto a truck. Heavy rain also caused some flooded roads and basements in the southern tier.

1990: Strong winds brought down trees and power lines in the Niagara Frontier and western southern tier.

October 19th

1996: Rainfall of three to four inches recorded across the Genesee Valley from an intense storm system. Roads were closed and many basements flooded including in Albion.

October 20th

1995: Wind damage was reported in Mayville, Franklinville, and Hamburg from a strong cold front. Heavy rain also fell resulting in street flooding near Ripley.

October 21st

1976: Waterspouts over Lake Erie near the Buffalo Harbor were seen by many in office buildings in downtown Buffalo.

1993: Strong winds funneled down Lake Erie and caused damage including in Dunkirk where a 40 foot tree fell landing on a passing car and trapped the driver for half an hour. The tree also flattened a minivan and another car. Scattered power outages and downed trees were reported throughout Erie and Chautauqua counties. A peak wind gust of 61 mph was recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

2001: Thunderstorms moved into the western southern tier causing damage to trees and power lines in Lakewood, Ellicottville, Franklinville and Cuba. A barn in Lyndon had extensive structural damage when portions of the roof were ripped off. Inch size hail was also reported with the storms covering the ground.

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of October 8th in Western New York weather history reminds us of the October snowstorm of 2006, damaging winds, hail and record heat.

Oct 9th

1950: In 24 hours 1.53" of rain was recorded at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Heavy rain across Western New York produced street flooding in many locations.

Oct 10th

1906: A big snowstorm hit the Niagara Frontier. Rain changed to heavy wet snow and winds picked up quickly. 2.6" of heavy wet snow was reported. Many leaves were still on trees and many tree limbs were brought down and also wires. Two deaths were reported by broken wires. Tree limbs were brought to the ground and many trees were broken to pieces. The snow collected rapidly on wires and broke them in many places in the city and surrounding areas, with many power outages reported.

Oct 11th

1932: Lake waters increased in the Buffalo Harbor from a strong southwesterly wind, and one vessel, the freighter Norway, broke away and dragged its anchor causing some damage. Several other smaller boats were overturned. Gusty winds caused damage including uprooted trees and power lines blown down.

Oct 12th

1992: Strong winds were recorded especially along Lake Erie. Gusts up to 54mph at the Buffalo Coast Guard, and sustained winds of 40mph in Dunkirk and Buffalo.

2006: The major October snowstorm of 2006 happened. Heavy rain turned to heavy wet snow which dumped 22.6 inches of snow at the Buffalo Airport in 24 hours. One foot was recorded in just 4 hours. Many leaves were still on trees and the heavy wet snow brought down communities of trees. Those damages are still seen today. One death was reported, a man killed from a large falling tree limb. Depew, Lancaster and Alden received 24 inches, and Amherst up to 22 inches.

October 13th

1999: Strong winds brought down trees that damaged homes in South Buffalo and Elma. Hail was also reported in many cities in Erie county. Peak wind gusts of 71 mph were reported in Lewiston.

October 14th

1983:A cold front brought strong gusty winds up to 60mph and hail. Many trees and power lines were reported down and 2200 homes in Amherst lost power. Temperatures dropped from record highs the previous day to cold temperatures and some snow.

1989:Severe storms blew over trees and power lines in places such as Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties. A house trailer was blown off its foundation in Hartland. In Medina, 7000 residents lost power and the Medina Armory had part of its roof peeled off. Nearly a million bushels of apples in Niagara and Orleans counties were damaged by hail and strong winds.

2001: Strong winds ahead of a cold front brought down trees and power lines in South Wales, Jamestown, Belfast and Dunkirk.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of October 1st in Western New York we remember the earliest snowfall on record in Buffalo, the major snowstorm of 1906, and also remnants of a hurricane which caused flooding.

Oct 5

1955: Daily record rain, and a 24-hour rainfall of 3.11 inches recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

1995: Remnants of Hurricane Opal passed near Buffalo to the west and brought two to three inches of rain for much of the area. Even isolated amounts of near four inches were reported in parts of the western Southern Tier and some flooding.

Oct 6

1991: The first cold spell of the season with some thunderstorms, and 0.2 inch of sleet recorded. It was the earliest measurable snowfall received in Buffalo establishing a record for the date. Some lake effect snow well south of Buffalo brought an inch of snow over parts of Cattaraugus county.

Oct 7

1991: Heavy wet snow, 8 to 10 inches deep, fell in Allegany county and brought down trees and power lines which forced closings of some schools. No precipitation was reported at the Buffalo Airport.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 24th in Western New York remnants of a hurricane produced record rainfall.

Sept 28

1962: Strong easterly winds lowered Lake Erie waters by several feet.

Sept 29

1986: A waterspout moved off Lake Ontario into northwest Orleans county near Lyndonville. The tornado crossed West Lake road and moved into the village of Shadigee then back to Lake Ontario. Most of the damage was to one house on West Lake Road with minor damages to many other residences in Shadigee.

Sept 30

1959: The remnants of Hurricane Gracie hit Buffalo producing the heaviest rainfall since October 1955. At the Buffalo Airport rainfall of 2.68 inches was recorded in 24 hours.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 17th in Western New York many boats were damaged by strong winds.

Sept 21

1954: Strong winds damaged small boats, toppled trees and power lines in Buffalo.

Sept 22

1983: Hail as large as marbles hit east of Lake Erie. Waterspouts were also reported over the lake near Buffalo, Dunkirk, and Angola.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 10th in Western New York remnants of a tropical storm brought flooding rains.

Sept 14

1979: The remnants of Tropical Storm Frederic brought record amounts of rainfall to western New York and the Buffalo International Airport received 4.94 inches in a 24 hour period. The max was 7.10 inches at Holley. Frederic's rains caused flooding over much of western New York and the Buffalo metropolitan area with most streams above their flood stages, basement floodings, power outages, many roads and schools and offices closed. Many property owners who lived near streams were evacuated.

Sept 15

1966: Heavy rainfall totals of 6" were reported from the Town of Tonawanda in a 36 hour period and storm sewers and drains could not handle the runoff forcing the closure of over 30 streets and serious basement flooding in thousands of homes.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 3rd in Western New York heavy rain closed down roads.

Sept 3: Hit the record for second warmest day in Buffalo, of 98 F in 1953 (record is 99 F).

Sept 7

1970: Heavy rain caused extensive damage in northern Chautauqua county, where more than two inches of rain fell in a four-hour period. The rain washed out vineyards and closed roads.

Sept 8

1970: Heavy rain caused major damage in northern Chautauqua county where more than two inches of rain fell in a four-hour period. Washed out vineyards, closed roads, and power failures resulted.

Sept 9

1929: A storm across Buffalo had rainfall of 1.61 inches in less than 2 hours, was greater than the total amount recorded during either July or August. I did relieve prolonged drought conditions there but the Hertel-Colvin section had moderate flooding, street and railway traffic was delayed considerably.

2004:

Western New York had drenching rains from remnants of hurricane Frances, rainfall totaled 3 to 5 inches, much of it falling in a 6 to 9 hour period. Several creeks in the Buffalo and Rochester areas recorded their greatest flows and highest gage levels ever in a non-winter/spring season. Cazenovia Creek at Ebenezer was above the 10 foot flood stage cresting at 14.85 feet. Buffalo Creek at Gardenville was above the 7 foot flood stage cresting at 8.71 feet. Cayuga Creek at Lancaster was above the 8 foot flood stage cresting at 9.59 feet. Allegheny River at Salamanca was above the 12 foot flood stage cresting at 12.33 feet. Ellicott Creek at Williamsville was above the 8 foot flood stage cresting at 9.87 feet. Tonawanda Creek at Batavia was above the 9 foot flood stage cresting at 10.12 feet. In Cowlesville, Wyoming County, a three-year-old boy drowned when he was swept away by flood waters while playing near a stream.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 27th in Western New York a tornado touched down in Clarence.

Aug 28

1994: Thunderstorms hit and a man was injured in Lockport when he was pinned in his automobile by a falling tree. Also the storms spawned three separate tornadoes!

A weak tornado touched down in Lockport damaging some trees and a house had minor roof damage.

A fast moving weak tornado produced some damage in Fredonia at the fair grounds were two were injured by flying debris at the Farmer's Fair. A house sustained significant damage to its roof and had several windows broken.

Finally a weak tornado made a brief touchdown in the northwest corner of the town of Amherst. With the exception of two windows being blown out of a house, damage was confined to trees and shrubs.

Aug 31

1993: Thunderstorms in Erie county spawned a small tornado in Clarence during the early morning hours. Downburst winds with an embedded tornado downed numerous trees and falling trees caused some structural damage to homes.

Sept 1

1977: Thunderstorms in the town of Dayton caused lightning which struck four children causing serious injuries to two. High winds, hail, and lightning left power line and tree damage especially near Cherry Creek.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 20th in Western New York several tornadoes hit WNY including Lockport, Amherst and Fredonia.

Aug 24

1999: Severe storms downed trees and power lines in North Tonawanda and Lewiston. Also winds overturned a travel trailer in the KOA Campground on Grand Island, and torrential rains produced flash flooding Tonawanda and north Buffalo.

Aug 25

1994: A tornado touched down in Lockport and damage was reported on one property where three large trees were downed and windows were blown out of a garage.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 13th in Western New York a tornado touched down in Eden, and strong storms caused flooded streets.

Aug 17

1932: Storms and heavy rain caused many streets to flood across the Niagara Frontier, water being half a foot or more deep. A seaplane was overturned and two small fires occurred from lightning. Some good news, after a week of dry weather, the soaking rains were beneficial to golf courses, crops, and vegetation.

Aug 18

1900: The streets quickly flooded from downpours in many parts of the city, and in the northwest side of Buffalo street cars had to suspend operations.

Aug 19

1970: A tornado touched down in Eden and a home was completely destroyed along its 200 yard path.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 6th in Western New York, thunderstorms caused wind and hail damage.

Aug 6

1926: Storms brought strong winds and flooding rain. Streets were flooded in the Hertel area. One frame house under construction was blown down and many places struck by lightning, including a barn at Kusteran farm, near Angola; barn Wilcox farm on Hemlock Rd. in Eden; a Jefferson Ave. trolley car. Some telephone poles were blown down.

Aug 10

1926: Storms downed trees and power lines resulting in scattered power outages, and three-quarter inch hail fell in Lancaster.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 30th in Western New York, a tornado and damaging winds moved through the area.

July 30

1987: A tornado hit the town of Cheektowaga which flipped cars on the N.Y.S. Thruway and caused about 5 million dollars in damage to homes and businesses including the George Urban/Miami parkway area of the town. Major damage was sustained by three homes while over 100 homes reported minor damage.

1996: During the evening a small tornado touched down in Canaseraga, Allegany county which uprooted trees and tore parts of a metal roof off a barn and shingles off a mobile home.

Aug 3

1970: A violent storm hit Dunkirk causing downed trees and power lines and some property damage.

Aug 4

1989: A windstorm caused damage in Buffalo and in Eden, the Annual Corn Festival was interrupted by estimated winds of 50 mph when several tents collapsed.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 23rd in Western New York, damaging winds moved through.

July 27

1955: A thundersquall caused local flash flooding and knocked down trees and power lines.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 16th in Western New York strong winds, hail, flooding and lightning caused damage.

July 20

2004: Storms produced hail over Niagara and Orleans counties, three-quarter inch hail was reported in Sanborn and one-inch hail in Ridgeway.

July 21

2003: Thunderstorms with strong winds downed trees in Cuba, and Portville had straight-line wind damage when a barn was blown down. Heavy rains of more than 2 inches caused urban and small stream flooding in Cuba and Olean. In Fredonia, lightning struck a house.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 9th in Western New York, funnel clouds moved through the area.

July 9

1999: Severe storms crossed Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties producing damaging winds, downpours, and hail. Downed trees and power lines reported. Falling trees resulted in structure damage in Cassadaga and Ellicottville. A funnel was also sighted in Cassadaga. In Sinclairville, the strong winds leveled a large barn.

July 13

2003: Several funnel clouds developed from storms along the convergence of Lakes Erie and Ontario lake breeze boundaries. No damage was reported.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 2nd in Western New York, tornadoes touched down and lightning went through a house.

July 2

1963: A line of severe storms moved through western New York. A tornado touched down near the city of Jamestown and a fatal airplane crash occurred at Rochester.

July 3

1999: Severe storms produced heavy downpours, up to three inches in some spots, strong winds and large hail, and localized poor drainage flooding. Funnel clouds were sighted in Freedom. A swath of hail between one-half and one-mile wide hit Wyoming county and windows were broken and siding and shutters were damaged as a result. Hundreds of acres of corn were damaged. In Yorkshire, a large equipment shed was blown apart. In Delevan, a large barn and two concrete silos were destroyed. At the Freedom Speedway, several large trees were moved, light poles were bent over and a cinder block building was moved off its foundation, due to straight line winds.

July 4

1983: A cold front with storms and damaging winds moved through the Buffalo area which brought hail to Orchard Park, winds gusting to 50 mph, and an unconfirmed report of a funnel cloud in Lancaster.

July 6

1994: Storms moved through and an Amherst resident apparently encountered a ball of lightning about the size of a beach ball rolling down the upstairs hall which went through a bedroom door and window and damaged some electrical appliances.

July 7

1965: Severe storms moved through and one produced hail and small tornadoes including tornado clouds at Curriers, Wyoming county and Williamsville and Akron in Erie county.

July 8

1998: Storms brought three to five inches of rain across parts of Erie, Genesee, and Wyoming counties, widespread devastating flash flooding was reported. Many small streams and creeks became raging torrents and the upper reaches of the Tonawanda Creek rose drastically--faster than at any time in at least 30 years according to locals--and flooded out much of the Village of Attica. Two deaths resulted from the flooding including a 28 year-old female and a 17 year-old male drowned while attempting to rescue animals from the basement of an animal clinic.

The Tonawanda creek which rose well above flood stage downstream to Batavia. Cayuga creek at Lancaster rose above flood stage for several hours. A State of Emergency was declared for all of Wyoming County. Nearly 400 buildings were damaged in Wyoming county and damage to crop land was severe.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 25th in Western New York, tornadoes caused damage.

June 25

1997: Strong storms, which developed along lake breezes from Lakes Erie and Ontario winds, downed trees and power lines in Niagara, Orleans, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, creating scattered power outages.

June 29

1980:Several funnel clouds were reported on grand island, Youngstown and in the Akron/Newstead. Tornadoes reportedly touched down in Franklinville where winds cut a 50 foot wide path through trees, and in Ellicottville a home and mobile home were damaged. Fallen trees closed a portion of route 242 in Franklinville.

June 30

1976: Severe storms caused a peak gust of 69 mph at Buffalo Airport, and a house was struck by lightning and set fire on Dakota street.

2006: Storms developed producing hail up to one inch in diameter, and a storm spawned a tornado which moved across the Town of Cheektowaga. Report from the National Weather Service in Buffalo reads: The tornado initially touched down on Walden Avenue near Harlem Road and traveled from the northwest to the southeast through the town. On Walden Avenue, a construction trailer was moved several hundred feet. The worker in the trailer suffered minor injuries. As the tornado moved across the New York State Thruway, it lifted a tractor trailer and deposited on its side across the Jersey barrier. The driver of the truck suffered a broken leg. The tornado continued on its southeast trek damaging a 20 by 30 foot section of a wall on a warehouse and then downed trees as it crossed through central Cheektowaga. The tornado touched down several times along its path. Its final touchdown was at the Parkside Village Mobile Home Park around 3:05 p.m. where three mobile homes sustained significant damage and eight others sustained minor damage. The tornado was ranked an F1 with a path length of three miles and a width of 75 yards.

July 1

1953: A line of severe storms hit Grand Island, the Tonawandas, and north Buffalo bringing destructive winds: at the airport 59mph winds, heavy rain 2.27 inches in a 3-hour period, and hail caused damage estimated around two million dollars.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 18th in Western New York, gusty winds on Lake Erie capsized boats, and a tornado damaged a house.

June 18

1990: Severe thunderstorms downed trees and power lines causing numerous power outages. Several reports of homes damaged by falling trees were received and state of emergency declared in Brownville as downed trees and power lines blocked the main streets. Two people were trapped in their cars when live wires fell onto the street. Specific reports of wind damage were received from Falconer, Elma, Lancaster, Wilson, Batavia, and Murray.

June 19

1908: Heavy rain and a windstorm in Buffalo with winds of 56 mph and extreme gusts of 69 mph caused damage. Many valuable trees were blown down, streetcar traffic stopped by broken wires, or obstructing trunks of trees. A church being built on East Ferry street was blown down. Two boys who had sought refuge there were seriously injured by falling timbers.

June 20

1969: Thunderstorms spawned tornadoes which ripped through sections of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Hardest hit were a factory in Jamestown and the towns of Gerry and Bemus Point. No injuries were reported.

June 21

1972: Remnants of hurricane Agnes dumped 3.97 inches of rain in a couple days with up to a foot or more over portions of the southern tier. Devastating flooding reached record levels in Allegany, and Cattaraugus counties and the dike system was exceeded in Salamanca. Property damage was in the hundreds of millions of dollars with 24 deaths in New York state.

June 22

1985:Strong winds on Lake Erie gusting to 41 mph capsized several small vessels which caused four people to go into the water. One person drowned two teenage girls were stranded adrift a rubber raft for 16 hours about four miles west of Silver Creek before being rescued by the Coast Guard.

June 23

1989: Several streams already swollen, flooded from heavy rains: Lockport, Albion and Arcade reported rainfall of 3.3, 3.0, and 2.9". States of emergency were declared for the village of Arcade and Albion. In Arcade, trees were uprooted and moved 500 feet by the flood waters and waters ate away the roadbed of the Conrail line in the town of Dale. In Genesee county, three bridges washed away. The Allegheny River crested about 3.5 feet above flood stage at Olean and Salamanca, and a bridge in Franklinville was washed out. In Portville, 50 persons had to be evacuated from their homes, and flooding closed portions of State Routes 219, 242, 16, and 98.

June 24

1994: Severe storms brought damaging winds in Hamburg and East Aurora, and produced a weak tornado in Angola. The tornado mainly uprooted trees, one tree fell onto a house.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 11th in Western New York, remnants of a hurricane brought devastating floods.

June 15

1991: Storms over southern Erie and Chautauqua counties produced damaging wind gusts over 45 mph which downed trees and power lines in Evans and Angola, and also Jamestown. Marble-size hail was reported in the town of Harmony and in Jamestown.

June 16

1986: Severe thunderstorms brought a peak gust of 69 mph at the Buffalo Airport. The storms cut electricity to nearly 18,000 homes around Buffalo. A house was struck by lightning and set fire on Dakota street.

2008: Western New York experienced a rare widespread damaging hail event across southern Niagara, southern Orleans counties especially, hail of up to two inches in diameter. One storm formed over Grand Island and moved into the northern and eastern suburbs of Buffalo. The golf-ball sized hail damaged thousands of automobiles as well as windows, roofs and awnings on homes. At the Amherst Middle School, the hail pierced 1200 to 1500 holes in the skylight roof. While property damage was significant, the damage to area crops was devastating.

June 17

1970: Storm brought power outages to Niagara and drenching rains flooded streets in Lockport. Lightning also struck four homes and a church in Amherst but damage was light.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 4th in Western New York, large hail and gusty winds caused damage.

June 7

1980: Strong storms caused downed trees and power lines and heavy rain caused street flooding. Also a wind gust of 79 mph was recorded at the Buffalo Airport and golf ball sized hail was reported.

June 8

2007: Storms downed trees and power lines including in Concord, Hamburg, Gerry, Westfield, Niagara Falls, LeRoy, Varysburg, Otto, Orchard Park, Bemus Point, Byron, Castile.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of May 28th in Western New York, a tornado hit several local towns.

June 1

1977: Severe storms brought up to ½ inch hail, strong gusty winds and heavy rain for Niagara Falls. Also some large trees were uprooted and fell across parked cars, while in other sections of the city power lines were downed and roofs were damaged by falling tree limbs.

1986: Storms dumped 1.15 inches of rain at the Buffalo Airport which set a record for that date. And the thunderstorms knocked out power to between 5,000 and 6,000 customers in Buffalo, and also power outages in the towns of Amherst, Tonawanda, Elma, West Seneca, Hamburg, Orchard park, Alden and Marilla.

June 2

1998: Severe storms moved through and a tornado struck Wyoming county and did substantial damage to numerous structures and completely destroyed several others. The initial touchdown of the tornado occurred in Orangeville and went near the Village of Warsaw damaging two houses, then the tornado followed near the border of the Towns of Perry and Castile damaging several sheds and docks as it crossed Silver Lake. The final traces of the tornado were in Castile.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of May 21st in Western New York, damaging storms uprooted trees and lightning injured two people.

May 25

1998:A storm produced torrential rains and also quarter-sized hail in Cuba.

May 26

1991: Strong winds from thunderstorms uprooted trees and damaged a house in the Town of Otto.

May 27

2001: Storms produced hail up to 3/4 inch in North Tonawanda and damaging winds up to 68 mph. In Clarence a husband and wife were struck by lightning when it hit a nearby tree, and nearby automobiles had damaged electrical systems and a window blown out.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of May 14th in Western New York, severe storms and record, heavy rain caused damage.

May 14

1989: Lightning struck and killed two softball players in Randolph, as they sought shelter from a thunderstorm under a tree. Four other players who had also run under the tree were treated for shock and minor injuries.

May 18

2000:Storms moved into southern tier and gusty winds downed trees and power lines and there were reports of damage to homes and cars in Cuba, Whitesville, and Olean.

May 19

1986: Heavy rain, and at the Buffalo Airport a total of 3.41 inches for the day shattered the old record of 1.69 inches set in 1957. The rain caused urban flooding as storm sewers were not able to handle the heavy flow of water.

May 20

1996: A line of severe storms crossed Niagara, Genesee counties producing damaging winds and downed trees and power lines in North Tonawanda, Elba, Riga and Bergen. Power outages were numerous.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of May 7th in Western New York, heavy rain caused flooding.

May 7

2000: A fast moving storm moved through Cattaraugus bringing damaging winds and trees and limbs were downed, also a downed pole ripped power lines from nearby homes.

May 8

1989:A late season storm dropped up to twelve inches of snow across the western southern tier and the Niagara Frontier! Buffalo received just under eight inches. The heavy, wet snow downed power lines and trees and nearly 13,000 customers were without electricity in much of Orleans and parts of northeast Genesee counties.

2004: Heavy rains and storms in the southern tier brought up to three inches of rain in less than two hours. Basements were flooded in Jamestown, Olean and Allegany and many roads were partially or totally washed out and closed.

May 11

1989: It was nearly two weeks of consistent rainfall across the western southern tier which caused streams and creeks to reach bankful. Several roads were flooded and closed and at the Onoville Marina on the Allegheny River, ramps to the docks were under two feet of water. And there was a mud slide on one of the ski slopes at the Holiday Valley Resort Area in Ellicottville.

May 12

1952: Heavy rain, 1.70 inches, was recorded at the Buffalo airport and flood damage was reported along the lake and river.

May 13

2006: Storms along the south shore of Lake Ontario brought hail as large as 1.75 inches reported in Port Byron, and one inch hail in Rochester.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of April 30th in Western New York, a foot of snow fell and heavy rain flooded basements.

May 4

No significant weather events occurred on this date.

May 5

1998: A thunderstorm quickly dropped three quarters of an inch of rain and hail accumulated several inches on the ground and piles of it could still be seen hours later, including in Bergen and Batavia.

May 6

1998: Strong storms caused flash flooding over the northern suburbs of Buffalo and in Clarence, several basements were flooded and roads were closed. Also a 46-year-old man was struck by lightning but only suffered minor injuries.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of April 23rd in Western New York, strong storms caused one death from lightning.

April 23

1992: A thunderstorm downed trees and power lines in the Towns of Ripley and Westfield and a portion of an upper story home addition was also torn off by the thunderstorm winds.

1985: The high of 88 degrees not only broke a 100 year record for that date, but also set a new record for the highest temperature ever recorded on any date during the month of April.

April 26

2008: Severe storms with inch size hail and downburst winds downed trees and power lines in Oswego and Adams. Also downpours caused brief urban flooding in the Rochester metro area.

April 27

1954: Storms were scattered throughout western New York and a quarter of an inch of rain was reported at the Buffalo airport, as well as thunder and lightning. A farm hand was killed by lightning at South Dayton.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of April 16th in Western New York, record heat was recorded.

April 16

1993: A strong cold front brought damaging winds: Wind gusts 64 mph at Kenmore and 60 mph at the Buffalo Airport. Wind damage was reported in Frewsburg, Delevan, Amherst and Warsaw.

April 17

1967: Storms over Chautauqua county brought locally heavy rains which flooded some basements and caused temporary power failures in the Jamestown area.

April 20

1996: Severe storms brought large hail to the western southern tier and strong winds downed trees and power lines in Chautauqua county. Large hail was reported in Hamlin, and Ripley.

April 21

1995: An isolated severe storm brought hail up to an inch-and-a-half in diameter over Cattaraugus.

April 22

1985: Record heat was recorded. A high temperature of 77 degrees in Buffalo broke the record of 76 set in 1957. Many trees and flowers started to bud early due to the warm days and fairly mild nights and farmers got an early start to spring planting.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of April 9th in Western New York, flooding and lightning caused damage.

April 13

1994: Rains and snowmelt caused Chautauqua Lake to rise above flood stage at Bemus Point and some minor flooding happened along lakefront properties. The century-old St. Francis Chapel in Tonawanda was hit by a direct lightning strike.

April 14

1994: Spring rain raised the level of the Genesee River about a foot and a half above flood stage.

April 15

1991: Strong wind gusts were recorded: 68 mph in Niagara Falls; 63 mph at the Buffalo Airport.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of April 2nd in Western New York weather history there were many damaging wind events.

April 2

1970: The lowest sea level pressure ever recorded at Buffalo in April was 28.86 inches. This storm caused strong winds that brought down trees and power lines across the area, and over an inch (1.11) of rain in Buffalo caused local flooding in poor drainage areas. For higher elevations in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, heavy snowfall closed some roads.

April 3

2006: Thunderstorms over the Southern Tier produced hail up to 3/4" in Jamestown and damaging winds which downed trees in Hinsdale and Wales Center.

April 4

1975: More than 12 inches of snow fell at the Buffalo Airport and winds gusted to 70 mph. Also blizzard-like conditions were recorded and The New York State Thruway was closed from Depew to Henrietta and Route 219 from Hamburg south into Pennsylvania. Hundreds of motorists were stranded and air travel was temporarily stopped.

April 5

2007: A lake effect snow event dropped feet of snow across parts of the southern tier: Perrysburg 26", Mayville 23", Arkwright 18", and Jamestown 15".

April 6

1979: Among the worst wind storms hit the Niagara Frontier, gusts officially to 62 mph at the Buffalo Airport and unofficial reports of gusts to 80 mph in the surrounding area. Plate glass windows were blown in, trees were uprooted. Extensive flooding and ice damage at the east end of Lake Erie and along the Niagara River. In the Town of Hamburg 150 residents were evacuated from their homes and more than 75 families were isolated in their homes by the rising waters of the Niagara River.

1985: It was the 5th windiest day in Buffalo with winds averaging 32.7 mph for the day and a peak gust of 74 mph was recorded at the Buffalo Airport where an Empire Airlines jet sustained slight damage when it was blown against a wall and portions of the American Airlines hanger were blown off. In the town of Hamburg, three airplanes at the Hamburg Airdrome were tipped over and damaged. Also the protective bubble over the Buffalo Bills practice field in Orchard Park was blown off and left shredded in a nearby ravine.

April 7

1994: Snowfall brought six to ten inches of heavy wet snow to Western New York and 5.6 inches fell nearly double the normal amount for the whole month and the northern suburbs reported higher amounts of eight to ten inches.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of March 26th in Western New York weather history the strongest low pressure system was recorded in Buffalo.

March 26

1970: A windstorm caused damage throughout the Niagara Frontier with gusts up to 63mph recorded at the Buffalo airport with trees and power lines downed and heavy plate glass windows smashed. Lake ice which was over two feet thick piled into windows 20 to 40 feet high by the storm.

March 27

1976: Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds caused minor tree damage, including the town of Holland and some building damage in the town of Pendleton.

March 28

1991: High winds downed trees and power lines: Town of Wheatfield 23 utility poles were downed, concrete silo blown down in Sheldon, a 20 by 40' section of roof was blown off a motel in Warsaw, several other roofs were also damaged in the Buffalo area. Wind gust reported: 84 mph Albion and Orleans, 70 mph Dunkirk, 68 mph Buffalo, 60 mph Niagara Falls.

1998: A squall line brought wind gusts over 70 mph and downed numerous trees and wires across the Niagara Frontier.

March 29

1993: Melting snow from the blizzard of the 13th-14th combined with mild temperatures and spring rains produced flooding on some area creeks and rivers. The Tonawanda Creek overflowed its banks along the Erie/Niagara County border and water filled backyards and surrounded a few homes. A tributary at the headwaters of the Genesee River caused flooding in Allegany County.

March 30

1960: A record high temperature of 69 degrees caused snowmelt and flash flooding along some area streams, and larger creeks like the Tonawanda and Ellicott creeks went into flood stages, including the Tonawanda set an all time high stage of 16.95 feet at Rapids. Many roads were closed and families stranded by high water.

March 31

1982: High temperatures near 70 were recorded and as a cold front moved in severe thunderstorms hit with wind gusts to near 60 mph and dropping temperatures 20 degrees in two and a half hours. Also, high winds blew roofs off a few buildings, downed power lines, and the storms produced hail about 3/4 inch in diameter.

1989: A spring snowstorm brought snow ranging from six and eleven inches for the Niagara Frontier. The heavy, wet snow downed power lines and caused scattered power outages.

April 1

1993: Flooding on area creeks and streams continued from March through the first week of April as a result of additional rain and snowmelt. It was the worst flooding since Hurricane Agnes in 1972, including the Tonawanda Creek.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of March 19th in Western New York weather history we had several ice and flood events.

March 19

2003: Warmer temperatures resulted in a quick meltdown of the winter snow pack and three creeks exceeded flood stage including the Tonawanda Creek and the Allegheny River.

March 20:

No significant weather events occurred on this date.

March 21

1980: Record rain of 1.35 inches fell and caused basement flooding in Kenmore and Amherst, also heavy wet snow between half a foot to a foot accumulated and downed electric lines in parts of Cheektowaga cutting power to about 500 homes.

March 22

1992: Low pressure brought snow with the heaviest accumulations along the New York/Pennsylvania Border. Snowfall reports included: 10" Sherman, 7" Portageville, 6" Salamanca, Whitesville, and Elmira.

March 23

1994: Rainfall and snowmelt caused flooding along some area rivers and creeks. At Olean flooding along the Allegany River closed a portion of West River Road.

March 24

1930: Snow, rain and sleet fell and accumulated on trees, shrubbery and wires across northern Buffalo.

March 25

1996: Strong cold front brought down trees, power lines and telephone lines over the western southern tier and the Niagara frontier and two construction workers were injured in Buffalo when a retaining wall collapsed.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of March 12th in Western New York weather history we had many big flood events.

March 12

1968: Up to 12 inches of snow fell for much of the area and thunder and lightning was recorded.

1985: Winds gusted up to 66mph in Buffalo and West Seneca with power outages reported in parts of Lancaster, Buffalo, and Amherst, and wind damage reported.

March 13

1993: A major winter storm system which produced blizzard conditions from the southeastern United States to Quebec also hit locally. High winds and heavy snow reduced visibilities to zero. Snow drifts of 5-10 feet were reported and trees and wires were also downed by the high winds and snow. The New York State Thruway was closed from Buffalo east and driving bans and restrictions were in place in most counties locally.

March 14

1982: Rapid thaw caused ice jam flooding to Ellicott, Tonawanda, Cazenovia, and Cayuga creeks when they crested near flood stage and minor flooding was reported along them including in Sunset Bay at the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek about 150 families were evacuated as water up to three feet deep covered most of the streets and rose into homes.

March 15

1959: A peak gust of 93 mph was recorded at Niagara Falls airport and caused injuries to at least 14 people and considerable damage to roofs and power lines.

March 16

2003: A Cazenovia Creek ice jam caused flooding in West Seneca. At Ebenezer the creek crested above flood stage (10ft) at 11.6 feet.

March 17

2003: Ice jams on Cattaraugus Creek caused flooding at Sunset Bay in Hanover and a couple of hundred residents were evacuated to shelters as around 75 homes were flooded.

March 18

2007: Snowmelt from warm weather and additional rainfall resulted in spring flooding. Thirteen of the area river and creek forecast points exceeded flood stage including Cattaraugus Creek causing over one hundred residents to be evacuated at Sunset Bay.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of March 5th in Western New York weather history we had damaging wind events.

March 5

1976: Thunderstorms caused gusty winds and damage to trees and power lines. Also high waters in Ellicott Creek caused widespread street and basement flooding in sections of the Town of Amherst. Parts of Jamestown were flooded and Tonawanda creek spilled over its banks into low lying areas between Batavia and the Tonawandas causing estimated damages about $900,000.

March 6:

1997: Low pressure brought heavy, wet snow. Totals ranged from five to seven inches across metro Buffalo.

March 7

2008: One of the worst storms of the season hit. The 21.6 inch total measured at the Buffalo Airport was the greatest general (non-lake effect) snowfall in Buffalo in 24 years. Other snowfall reports included: 30 inches at Ellicottville; 26 inches at Lockport and Perrysburg; 24 inches at Depew; 23 inches at Getzville; 22 inches at North Tonawanda and Hamlin; 21 inches at Hamburg, Amherst and Niagara Falls; 18 inches at Brockport, Colden, Sinclairville, and Warsaw; 17 inches as Copenhagen, Forestville and South Dayton; 16 inches at Darien and Scottsburg; 15 inches at Colden; 14 inches at Middleport.

March 8

1984: A low of -7 at the Buffalo Airport broke the record for this date and was the coldest temperature ever recorded in the month of March. Other locations in western New York had temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees below zero.

March 9

2002: Low pressure brought gusty and damaging winds.

March 10

1994: Snow moved through and accumulated: Westfield 10", Lockport 8" and Tonawanda 7".

March 11

1992: Snowfall accumulated as a system moved through: 21" Portageville, 20" Batavia, 18" Olean and Wellsville, 17" Medina, and 15" Buffalo and Albion.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of February 26th in Western New York weather history we had some major ice storms and flooding.

February 26

1975: Near record warmth with a high of 58 degrees also came with high winds, thunderstorms, and even a small tornado touched down on Five Mile Road in Allegany county and 5 mobile homes were destroyed along with six damaged.

2001: Damaging wind gusts were recorded: : 63 mph at Buffalo, Erie county; 58 mph at the Niagara Coast Guard, Youngstown, Niagara county; and 61 mph at Elma, Erie county.

February 27

1985: Mild temperatures and rain caused flooding in Amherst, Clarence, and south Buffalo in Erie county, Sunset Bay in Chautauqua county, and Batavia in Genesee county. Tonawanda and Ellicott creeks crested at their highest stages since march 1960 and Ellicott creek caused massive evacuations. 500 residents were evacuated in Amherst. Ice jams along Cazenovia, Buffalo and Cayuga creeks also caused hundreds of people to be evacuated from their homes.

February 28

1902: Buffalo and Cazenovia creeks overflowed their banks, covering all the surrounding districts. Two families were rescued from the second stories of their dwellings, and at the peek the flood covered three square miles of south Buffalo, was under water. Over 500 families were imprisoned in their homes and all the big factories in that section of the city had to shut down.

March 1

1987: Temperatures in the 40s and rainfall led to ice jams and flooding along Cazenovia Creek at Sunset Bay. About a dozen homes were evacuated on Parkside Drive in West Seneca as Cazenovia Creek jammed and overflowed. At Sunset Bay at the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek, ice jams had caused one and a half to two and a half feet of water to fill roads and yards and 200 residents were evacuated.

March 2

1976: The costliest ice storm on record hit. Ice was reported four inches thick in some spots. Erie, Chautauqua, Genesee, and Wyoming counties were declared major disaster areas by President Ford. Damages in Erie County were $45.6 million and $26 million in the City of Buffalo.

March 3

1991: A devastating ice storm paralyzed part of Western New York. Virtually all schools and businesses were shut down. Governor Mario Cuomo declared eighteen counties State Disaster Areas and was the most costly natural disaster in the history of New York State.

March 4

1996: A cold flow of air produced lake effect snow squalls off of both lakes. While 70% of Lake Erie was ice covered Sinclairville still reported 11 inches, Arcade 10 inches, Colden 8 inches and Delevan 6 inches.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of February 19th in Western New York weather history we had some small tornadoes!

February 19

1960: Snow accumulated, 13.0 inches of snow that fell at the Buffalo Airport was the greatest in 24 hours for the month of February, and the New York State Thruway was closed for 19 hours and over 1000 travelers were stranded. Six deaths were attributed to the storm. Also some schools housed students overnight because of closed and blocked roads (about 500 in Wyoming county.

February 20

1994: Ice jams from mild temperatures and melting snowpack caused flooding, on the Buffalo Creek water rose a foot an hour in Gardenville, and on the Walnut and Silver Creeks flooding in the village of Silver Creek.

February 21

1996: An ice jam on Cazenovia Creek, the level rose above flood stage and overflowed into Cazenovia Park. There were some road closings in South Buffalo.

February 22

1997: Powerful cold front dropped temperatures 40 to 45 degrees and created hazardous winds downing trees, power lines and poles across the entire area and hundreds of thousands were left without power. A 54 year old volunteer fireman was killed in Spencerport while responding to an emergency call when a large tree fell on the car crushing him, and his 15 year old son suffered injuries. Reported gusts: 53 knots at Buffalo and 51 knots at Niagara Falls.

February 23

2000: Warm temperatures caused an ice jam on Cazenovia Creek in West Seneca with the level just above flood stage resulting in minor flooding.

February 24

1975: A small tornado hit the village of Allegany in Cattaraugus county which caused two minor injuries, uprooted more than eighteen trees and damaged eight mobile homes (some overturned).

February 25

1990: Strong low pressure brought 4 to 8 inches of snow across Western New York and arctic air crossing the mild waters of Lake Ontario also produced lake effect snow squalls.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of February 12th in Western New York weather history we had some very warm days.

February 12

1993: Heavy snow fell across the western southern tier bringing up to 8 inches of snow.

February 13

1985: Ice jams caused flooding across parts of Wheatfield and Grand Island and some of those areas were evacuated and over 1000 sandbags were placed along the river banks.

February 14

2000: A Valentine's Day ice storm created an accumulation of ice 1/4 to 1/2 inch ice were common across the Niagara Frontier, Western Southern Tier.

February 15

1999:A nearly stationary front brought snow and freezing rain. Snowfall four to ten inches extended in a band from Buffalo, across Rochester (10" at Buffalo). Some of Western New York the snow changed to freezing rain which downed utility lines, snapped trees, and caused extensive damage. The majority of schools in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Niagara and Orleans counties were closed due to the hazardous road conditions and 40,000 customers were without power in Niagara and Orleans counties. Ice coatings ranged from one-half to one inch thick and states of emergency were declared in the Towns of Lyndonville and North Tonawanda.

February 16

1967: A strong wind storm hit: Buffalo Airport peak gust of 82 mph and gusts over 70 mph for 6 hours. Four deaths and property damage estimated at $2,000,000. Ice from the lake went over the ice boom and piled up to 60 feet below the Falls.

February 17

1976: Heavy rain caused Cattaraugus Creek to rise 12 feet above normal in Springville and hundreds of residents were evacuated from homes in Sunset Bay.

1984: Temperatures rose to more than 21 degrees above normal that week with a record high temperature of 61 degrees. This caused flooding from ice jams including along Cazenovia, Buffalo, Cayuga, Ellicott, Cattaraugus, and Tonawanda creeks. Along Cazenovia creek, hundreds of basements in south Buffalo were filled and at Sunset Bay, at the mouth of Cattaraugus creek, residents were evacuated from their homes.

February 18

2005: Arctic air created lake snow bands: 11" at Ellicottville, 9" at Stockton, 8" at Perrysburg, and 7" at South Dayton.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of February 5th in Western New York weather history we had flooding which caused home evacuations.

February 5

2006:Lake snow amounts during the 60-hour storm: 26" at Warsaw, 24" at South Dayton, 23" at Perrysburg, 18" at Chaffee, 12" at Angelica, and 10" at Friendship.

February 6

1988: Record breaking snowfall caused blizzard like conditions across the Niagara Frontier paralyzing traffic, 10.1 inches of snow at the Greater Buffalo International Airport, and causing accidents including a chain reaction crash involving 35 to 50 vehicles along the mainline Thruway.

February 7

1943: Resulting from high winds this morning reaching a maximum velocity of 60 mph at 4:39am, six store windows were smashed in and several false burglar alarms were set off in Buffalo. Snowfall in Buffalo, which amounted to 2.7 inches, was badly drifted in some sections. Fuhrman Boulevard was closed to traffic from 4am to 1:15pm. Badly drifted snow elsewhere in western New York kept many highways blocked and forced the closing of some schools.

February 8

1971:Chautauqua county was hit with over a foot and a half of snow and gusty winds created near blizzard conditions over a five county area.

February 9

2001: Warmer air and rain caused an ice jam flooding along Cazenovia Creek in West Seneca and Buffalo and many homes had to be evacuated.

February 10

2001: Damaging wind gusts were recorded: 66 mph in Forestville, 64 mph in Randolph, 65 mph in West Seneca, 62 mph in Sherman, 61 mph in Alexander, 58 mph in Niagara Falls and Albion.

February 11

1970: Strong winds and heavy snow caused heavy drifting and closed highways and schools in Wyoming county.

1991: A cold flow of air from the northwest produced lake effect snow off of Lake Ontario bringing accumulating snowfall to Orleans county.

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Buffalo, NY -- During this week of January 29th in Western New York weather history there were several ice and lake effect snow events.

January 29

2007: Heavy lake effect snow: 24 inches at Perrysburg, 23 inches at Arkwright, 18 inches as Cassadaga, 15 inches at Mayville, 10 inches at Hamburg and 9 inches at Orchard Park.

January 30

1966: Blizzard of 1966 hit and paralyzed Buffalo and the area. Some schools were closed for a week. Strong winds gusting to 60mph created severe blizzard conditions at times.

January 31

2002: Freezing rain caused ice accumulations of one-half to three-quarters inch and hundreds of thousands were left without power. States of Emergency were declared across the Niagara Frontier counties.

February 1

1982:A winter storm produced a mixture of rain, freezing rain and snow glazing highways and the Buffalo International Airport was shut down most of the day due to ice accumulations up to 1 ½ inches on the runways, and thousands of homes were without power as ice coated power lines. The Father Baker Bridge, Fuhrman Boulevard, and the Skyway were closed.

February 2

2007: Lake effect snow event: East Aurora 42 inches, Orchard Park 36 inches, Boston 26 inches, Warsaw 24 inches, Dunkirk 18 inches, and West Seneca 12 inches. Snowfall totals off Lake Ontario: Redfield 141 inches, Parish 121 inches, North Osceola and Mexico 106 inches, Oswego 84 inches, and Watertown 26 inches.

February 3

1883: Snow turned to rain and then froze as it fell creating an accumulation of ice on everything and caused a great destruction to trees and shrubs, and Telegraph and telephone wires.

February 4

1995: Lake snows set up and dropped heavy snow: Erie County: West Seneca 39", Orchard Park 36", Cheektowaga 36", Colden 32" and Buffalo airport 31", Genesee County: Corfu 38", Chautauqua County: Sinclairville 27" and Jamestown 15".

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of January 22nd in Western New York weather history reminds us of the Blizzard of 77!

January 22

2005:Widespread snowfall and blizzard like conditions produced blizzard-like conditions and travel was restricted to emergency vehicles only for several counties. Snow totals: 25" at Cassadaga, 23", 13" at Forestville, Perrysburg, and Cattaraugus, 12" at Alden, 11" at South Wales, Kenmore, Portageville, Dunkirk.

January 23

1959: Flash flooding happened from a January thaw, one drowning happened in Delaware Park.

1982: Freezing rain caused power outages mostly south of Buffalo. Wind chills dropped between minus 30 and minus 40.

January 24

1963: A severe blizzard closed most schools in the area for two days. A record low temperature of minus 11 was recorded.

January 25

1976: Freezing rain shutdown the Buffalo Airport for two hours.

January 26

1938: The worst ice jam on record happened in Niagara Falls, in the Niagara River Gorge causing ice flows to pour over the falls and created 30 feet ice piles, even 60 to 70 feet in spots. Property damage recorded too including docks used by the "Maid of the Mist".

1978: Among the strongest storms across the Ohio Valley moved in causing a snowstorm in Buffalo, just on the fringe of the major storm. Winds gusted to 66 mph and the barometer reached a new all time low for Buffalo of 28.41 inches.

January 27

1974: A windstorm hit with winds more than 60 mph causing widespread damage including a 70 foot radio tower in Hamburg to be blown down.

1985: A huge ice jam formed from the Blizzard of '85 and clogged the entire east channel of the Niagara River as the thinning Lake Erie ice cover broke and moved down river by gusty SW blizzard winds and caused a lot of property damage along the river.

January 28

1977: Blizzard of 1977!! Started on the 28th and lasted until February 1st. The snow began falling about 5am of the 28th. About 2 inches of new snow accumulated on top of the 37 inch snowpack and drifts from previous storms extending back to Christmas and city streets packed with snow, so badly that the National Guard was called in even before anyone knew about the coming blizzard.

Some specific data from the National Weather Service: During the morning the temperature rose rapidly from 5 degrees at midnight to 26 degrees at 11am. At 11:35am, the front passed Buffalo Airport. In a short time the visibility dropped from 3/4 mile to zero and the wind shifted and increased from south at 16 mph to southwest at 29 mph with gusts to 49 mph. The temperature fell 26 degrees to zero in just over four hours. The blizzard reached its worst severity during the late afternoon as winds at the airport averaged 46 mph gusting to 69 mph. Gusts of 75 mph were recorded at Niagara Falls airport. An average speed of 46 mph and temperature of minus 1 degree resulted in a wind chill factor of 55 to 60 degrees below zero which probably contributed to the deaths of 29 people--many found frozen in their half-buried cars during the four day ordeal. Blizzard or near blizzard conditions prevailed on and off for the next three days ending about midday February 1st. Daily peak gusts of 51, 52, 58, and 46 mph were recorded on the 29th through the 1st. When the sun finally came out for good on the first of February, its cold light revealed a scene of incredible desolation in the Buffalo area and to a slightly lesser degree in much of the seven western county area. The city as well as most other communities banned traffic for several days. The army was called in from fort Bragg, N.C. to augment the number of national guard troops which had been called before the storm. Some of the eastern suburbs of Buffalo, particularly Lancaster, were buried--to the roof in some cases. President Carter declared seven western counties and two eastern Lake Ontario counties a federal disaster area--the first time ever for a snowstorm in the U.S. The snow at Buffalo airport totaled about 12 inches from January 28th to February 1st but much of this is believed to be from existing snow lying on the frozen surface of Lake Erie being blown into the Buffalo area and redeposited.

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of January 15th in Western New York weather history reminds us of flooding that damaged nearly 1000 homes.

January 15

1999: Low pressure brought heavy, wet snow combined and freezing rain across the Southern Tier and several counties were declared disaster areas by the State and Federal government.

January 16

1999: Record snowfall of four to six feet across the region put a strain on buildings and roof collapses and entire structure failures happened including a portion of the roof of Frontier Bowling Lanes in Lewiston caving in, and a man was injured when a garage collapsed on him in Orchard Park.

January 17

1952: Thunderstorms and very warm temperatures recorded. Lightning damage, local flooding, and a record high temperature of 56 degrees happened.

January 18

1965: More than two feet of snow off Lake Erie from North Tonawanda to Lockport.

1986: Warm temperatures in the 50s and a melting snowpack caused flooding of streams and creeks including the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek at Sunset Bay. Also dense fog at the Buffalo Airport shut it down as no planes could take off or land in the dense fog.

1996: Heavy rain and snowmelt from warm temperatures produced a major ice jam on the Buffalo Creek in West Seneca and more than three feet of water and ice closed down much of Clinton and Transit Roads causing evacuations in West Seneca and Elma.

January 19

1996:Very warm temperatures caused a quick snowmelt with heavy rain producing major flooding which damaged local homes: 400 in Allegany county, 300 in Cattaraugus county, 200 in Erie county, and 100 in Wyoming county. Road closures and evacuations occurred.

January 20

1995: Heavy rain fell over Niagara and Orleans counties and water was 12 to 18 inches deep leading to flooded lawns, roads and basements. Also major flooding in Albion resulted in a state of emergency in the village and water damage reported at two schools.

January 21

1985: A storm reached blizzard conditions and a driving ban was in effect for Buffalo and the five western New York counties. Most everything closed including the Buffalo Airport. Also a record low of -10 degrees was set.

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of January 8th in Western New York weather history reminds us damaging winds.

January 8

2007: Lake effect snow off of Lake Erie: 18 inches at Perrsyburg, 16 inches at Ellicottville, 15 inches at South Dayton, 13 inches at Arcade, 10 inches at Warsaw, and 8 inches at Jamestown and Dunkirk.

January 9

1976: High snow drifts from 6 to 15 feet caused highway travel to be paralyzed and many roads closed including the New York State Thruway between Lackawanna and Dunkirk. Also many schools closed in the snowbelt sections during this snowstorm.

2008: Winds increased with gusts measured to 75 mph causing downed trees and power lines.

1998: Heavy rain of up to four inches over a well saturated ground caused 575 homes to be evacuated in the Town of Niagara, and one hundred homes had to be evacuated in Batavia.

January 10

1979: Blizzard like conditions for most of the south towns bringing traffic to a standstill.

1997: The fourth greatest 24-hour snow total for the Buffalo suburbs:, 21.4 inches of snow was recorded at the Buffalo Airport and all flights into and out of the Buffalo Airport were canceled that night.

January 13

2000: A low pressure system brought snowfall totals up to about a foot, mainly for the Southern Tier: Springwater 13"; Strykersville 12"; Colden 9", Arkwright 8"; and Perrysburg 7".

January 14

1950: Gusty winds injured 8 people with gusts up to 50mph at times across the area.

1992: Damaging wind gusts hit Western New York: 59 mph at Elmira, 46 mph at Dunkirk, and 45 mph at Buffalo.

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of January 1st in Western New York weather history reminds us of flooding that evacuated hundreds of homes and also high snow drifts.

January 1

1999: New Year's Day snow event produced snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour and snow totals nearly 2 feet:South Dayton 14", Arcade 12", Cassadaga 10" and Springville 9".

1985: Record high temperature of 63 degrees at Buffalo, old record of 56 degrees.

January 2

1995: Lake snow: Holland 41", Colden 37, Silver Creek 29, Wales 26, Strykersville and Eden 24, Arcade 18, Warsaw 17, Buffalo and Tonawanda 14, Alden and Orchard Park 9, and West Seneca and Lockport 8.

January 3

1996: Snowfall: 18 inches at Webster and Batavia, 16 inches at Springville, 14 inches at Portageville and Sherman, 13 inches at Youngstown, Wellsville and Avon, 12 inches at Lockport and Franklinville, and 10 inches at Olean.

January 4

1982: Gusty winds as high as 71 mph downed trees and power lines, pushed Lake Erie about a foot above flood level, causing some flooding along the shore near Hamburg.

1994:Low pressure brought snowfall, ranged from 6-8" over the extreme western counties.

2000:Strong wind gusts of 49 mph at Niagara Falls, 51 mph at Buffalo and 55 mph at Rochester were recorded causing power outages throughout the area.

January 5

1999: Heavy lake snow produced quick and heavy snowtotals. Amounts ranged from 13" downtown to 17" north and 20" south, 17" in Amherst and 23" in West Seneca.

January 6

1997: Multiple bands of lake effect caused numerous accidents and more than a foot of snow: 17" in Sinclairville, 15" in New Albion, 12" in Arcade and 11" in Springville.

January 7

2004: More than two feet of snow accumulated: Cassadaga 37", Stockton 34", Ellicottville 28", Colden 22", South Wales 20", Jamestown 16", Dunkirk 12", and Orchard Park 8".

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of December 25th in Western New York weather history reminds us of damaging winds on Christmas Day, and record highs for the New Year.

December 25

1973: Christmas Day storm brought heavy rain and flooding (1.21 inches of rain), minor street and basement flooding in Cheektowaga, Tonawanda and Amherst, also Ellicott creek flooded in Lancaster, Cheektowaga, Amherst and Tonawanda.

1992: Gusty damaging winds from a cold front: 59 MPH at Buffalo, 75 MPH at Dunkirk.

1978: Tree limbs and power lines downed from the weight of 2-1/2 feet of snow which also buried parts of Allegany county, a State of Emergency was declared.

December 26

2000:Specific snow totals from these extended event included off Lake Erie: 16" at Sinclairville and Warsaw; 14" at Colden; 13" at Perrysburg; and 10" at Silver Creek.

December 27

1977:Very cold air allowed one to two feet of lake snow and the N.Y.S. Thruway was closed from Lackawanna to the Pennsylvania line.

December 28

1968: A half an inch of ice caused widespread damage and major power failures throughout Western New York.

December 29

1984:Flood warnings for Cayuga, Ellicott, Cazenovia, Buffalo and Tonawanda creeks as area streams crested around a foot to a foot and a half above flood stages from heavy rain. The high temperature of 61 degrees broke the old record of 55 degrees set in 1884.

December 30

1990:Heavy rain up to 2.75 inches and snowmelt produced drainage and road flooding across the Niagara Frontier, many basements were flooded and roads closed, area creeks and streams near bankful.

December 31

2000: New Year's Eve low pressure caused lake effect: 11" at Niagara Falls, 10" Colden, 9" Greece, 7" Albion.

1998: Lake effect snowfall created near blizzard conditions: 23" in Orchard Park, 22" in Hamburg, 21" in East Aurora, and 20" in Blasdell.

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of December 18th in Western New York weather history reminds us of several heavy snow events including on Christmas Eve.

December 18

2000: Lake effect snow developed and accumulated off Lake Erie: 9" at Warsaw; 8" at Springville; and 7" at Stockton.

December 19

1996: Heavy lake snow caused forty cars to become stranded near Angola and a state of emergency declared in Dunkirk. Snow totals: Gowanda 28", Boston, Angola and Silver Creek 24", Hamburg 12-20", Orchard Park 10-18", and Elma 10".

December 20

1978: Icy roads during the evening commute caused dozens of traffic accidents.

December 21

1993:Several school districts canceled classes as low pressure moved in producing snowfall: 9" Sherman, 8" Arcade, and 6" at Franklinville and Bristol.

December 22

1997: Ice storm in the western southern tier caused many vehicle accidents as ice accumulated up to 1/2".

December 23

1960:Heavy snow quickly hit Buffalo and the 10.2 inches of snow at the Airport closed it temporarily.

2007:A strong cold front brought damaging winds. Sustained winds 40 mph Niagara Falls International Airport and gusts to 61 mph at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

December 24

2001: Christmas Eve lake snow bands set up and several feet of snow accumulated: North Tonawanda 40", Pendleton 39", Wheatfield 31", Middleport 26", Niagara Falls 25", Lewiston 25" and Lockport 24", Buffalo Airport 81.6", West Seneca 72", Lancaster/Depew 67", Clarence 56", Buffalo 49-63", Amherst 46-55", Boston 48", Kenmore and Tonawanda 45", Eden and Elma 43", Grand Island 40", East Aurora 38", and Colden and Hamburg 36", East Pembroke 29", Darien 28", Strykersville 49", Warsaw 31", Arcade 30", Bennington 29".

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Buffalo, NY -- The week of December 11th in Western New York weather history reminds us of many lake effect snow events.

December 11

1992: Snow event: 19 inches in South Bristol, 17 inches Sodus and Bergen, 16 inches Salamanca, Sinclairville, and Olean. 15 inches Friendship and Webster, 13 inches Whitesville, 11 inches Portageville, 10 inches Buffalo, Angelica, Rochester and Colden. 9 inches Avon, New Albion, and Warsaw, and 8 inches Lancaster.

December 15

2007: Widespread snowfall hit Western New York: 18" Lockport, 14" Ellicottville, 13" Niagara Falls, 12" Mayville, South Dayton, Kenmore, Alden, Buffalo, 11" Warsaw, 10" Wheatfield, 9" Randolph, East Aurora, and Darien, and 8" Jamestown, Friendship.

December 16

1999: Lake effect snow: 14" at Perrysburg, 11" at Springville, 10" at Warsaw, Colden and Wales.

December 17

1983: A narrow band of lake effect snow dropped more than 3 feet of snow in spots including Lackawanna, Hamburg, East Aurora, Orchard Park, and West Seneca.

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of December 4th in Western New York weather history reminds us of many snowstorms.

December 4

1991: Snow: Little Valley 11", Ellicottville 10", Dunkirk 8", Mayville 17", Jamestown 12-18", Casadaga 20", Springville 6".

December 8

1937: Heavy lake effect snowfall: 13.5 inches in the Hertel Ave area in Buffalo, while only 5.5 inches fell in downtown Buffalo.

December 9

1966: A thaw caused rapid snowmelt and damage around Chautauqua Lake which rose to flood levels.

December 10

1995: Snow storm: Buffalo 38", Cheektowaga and Lancaster 36", Depew 33", Clarence 32", Williamsville 31", Amherst 28", Kenmore 21", Elma and Alden 19", West Seneca 17", and Town of Tonawanda 11".

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of November 27th in Western New York weather history reminds us damaging winds and more snow events.

November 27

1989: Damaging wind gusts: 78 mph at Hamburg and 54 mph at Dunkirk.

November 28

1994: Winds gusting up to 67 mph with damage reported in Franklinville, Brockton, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Dunkirk, and Warsaw. Trees and power lines reported down from the gusts.

December 1

2006: Damaging gusty winds were recorded: 67 mph at Buffalo Airport, 65 mph at Hamburg, 62 mph at Lackawanna, 59 mph at Alfred, 58 mph at Elma.

December 2

1966: Snow storm brought 54" of snow to Mayville and more than 200 motorists and school children were stranded.

December 3

1989: Snow up to two feet reported: Perrysburg 12" and West Valley received 18", Chaffee in Erie county reported 12".

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of November 20th in Western New York weather history reminds us of 12 foot snow drifts.

November 20

1989: Gusty winds caused 50,000 homes and businesses without power and trees down across the area. In Cheektowaga a roof was blown off a mobile home. Reported gusts: 81 mph at Jamestown, 63 mph at Buffalo, 61 mph at Niagara Falls.

November 21

1957: Heavy snow, 11.3 inches of snow was recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

November 22

2000: Erie, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus counties were declared federal disaster areas from heavy snow: Stockton 31", New Albion 30", Sherman 27", Buffalo 16-25", Amherst 24", Jamestown 22" and Ashford 15".

November 23

1970: State of Emergency declared in the town of Evans after two feet of deep snow and snow drifts estimated up to 12 feet. Nearly three feet reported in Hamburg and gusty winds greatly reduced visibilities.

November 24

2005: Thanksgiving Day snow storm: 24" at Ellicottville, 22" at South Dayton; 16" at Perrysburg; 13" at Sinclairville; 11" at Lancaster; 10" at Warsaw and 7" at Buffalo.

November 25

1990: Strong winds brought down trees and power lines.

November 26

1979: A windstorm blew roofs off of some buildings and knocked a trailer over on the Thruway.

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of November 13th in Western New York weather history, we remember the "Snowvember" storm of 2014.

November 13th

1992: Lake effect snow accumulated off of Lake Erie: 25" Sherman, 23" Colden, 18" Chaffee and Boston, 12" Mayville and Eden, and 8" Evans.

2003: Strong winds caused power outages to more than 100,000 people and falling trees and poles caused damage to home and cars. In Stockton, 35 cattle were killed in a barn collapse. At the Buffalo-Niagara Airport a jet was turned by the wind, and in Buffalo a woman was blown over and suffered a broken leg.

November 14th

1997: Heavy snow dropped a daily record of 9.5 inches at the Buffalo Airport. Also 10-12 inches reported in West Seneca, Colden, Darien Center, and Portageville.

November 15th

1995: Heavy wet snow caused power outages and road closures. Up to 20 inches fell across most of Allegany county with over a foot from southern Erie, Wyoming counties southward: 17 inches in Wellsville, 15 inches in Strykersville, and 13 inches in Batavia and Brisol.

November 16th

1989: Gusty winds were reported and caused power outages: 55 mph Buffalo Airport, and 58 mph at Dunkirk.

November 17

2014: The "Snowvember" lake effect snow storm started in the evening on the 17th and lasted until the 21st. When the storm was over some communities were buried under more than 70 inches, even more than 80 inches of snow. Some of those areas included Cowlesville 88", Hamburg 80", West Seneca and South Buffalo near 80", Lancaster 74". The Buffalo Airport only picked up 16.9" of snow.

November 18

2014: The "Snowvember" lake effect snow storm continued through the 21st.

November 19

2000: Lake snows: Buffalo Airport 14", Lancaster 11", Amherst 10".

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of November 6th in Western New York weather history reminds us of many lake effect snow events and damaging winds.

November 6th

1950: In 24 hours 1.53" of rain was recorded at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Heavy rain across Western New York produced street flooding in many locations.

1967: Lake snows off Lake Erie dumped 28" in Mayville and the thruway was closed from Silver Creek to the PA border. In Buffalo 7" was reported.

1990: High winds gusting up to 61mph at the Buffalo Airport and 69mph at Dunkirk were reported. Trees and power lines were reported downed and some structural damage to homes in Lancaster.

1994: Strong winds funneling along Lake Erie brought down trees and power lies over areas closest to the eastern parts of the lake.

2005: Gusty winds up to 66 mph developed across the Niagara Frontier and brought down trees and power lines and 20,000 homes and businesses were without power. Large trees fell and crushed a car in Niagara Falls, a car and boat in Medina, and two cars in a garage in Blasdell. Also in Niagara Falls a 40 foot light standard fell on three police vehicles, and in Gerry the winds pushed a bus coach from Route 60. Even the Buffalo Airport was temporarily closed from the strong winds. Some peak wind gusts: 66 mph at West Seneca; 64 mph at Youngstown; 63 mph at Batavia; 62 mph at Barker; 60 mph at Lockport and Hamburg; and 59 mph at Albion, Buffalo and Grand Island. Finally, Lake Erie's water rose several feet from Ripley to Buffalo and waves of ten to fifteen feet caused some erosion of the lake shore and some property damage. Also some roads were closed. The water level rose above 8 foot flood stage to 8.5 feet.

2007: After the warmest 6 month stretch, heavy wet lake effect snow hit and power outages were reported from the weight of the snow and also snapped tree limbs. 8" of snow reported in Mayville, South Dayton and Ellicottville.

November 7th

1996: Severe storms downed trees and power lines and damage was reported in Frewsburg, North Harmony, and Mina.

November 8th

1996: Heavy rain and some flooding recorded east of Lake Ontario.

November 9th

1995: Lake effect snow 8 to 12 inches blanketed portions of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

2005: Storms downed trees and power lines causing power outages. One inch size hail was also reported. A vacant house was struck by lightning and set fire in Silver Creek.

November 10th

1975: Strong wind gusts up to 60 mph at the Buffalo Airport and reports of damage to boats and cottages in the town of Hamburg.

1988: Winds up to 68 mph gusted at the Buffalo Airport setting a new record for the month of November. Downed trees and power lines were reported across the area. A tractor trailer was blown over in Newstead and a large tree crushed a car in Buffalo. High waves collapsed a wall on River Road along Lake Erie.

1998: Gusty winds brought down a large tree limb which fell on a home, several windows were blown in, and many were without power including those in West Seneca, Clarence, and Lancaster.

November 11th

1977: Lake effect snow dropped up to 9 inches of wet snow over the northern suburbs of Buffalo which snapped power lines and large tree limbs, and four people were killed in car accidents.

1996: Arctic air produced lake effect snow, 20 to 40 inches off of Lake Erie!

November 12th

1992: High winds caused more than 100,000 people to be without power. Wind gusts peaked at 73 mph at Buffalo, 72 mph at Niagara Falls, 67 mph at Rochester. Storefront windows were reported blown in at Oakfield and Perry. Two people were injured in Batavia and Niagara Falls when they were struck while in their cars by tree limbs. High water levels along Lake Erie caused some flooding and residents in Hoover Beach in Hamburg had to be evacuated.

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of October 30th in Western New York weather history reminds us of many lake effect snow events and damaging winds.

October 30th

1996:Damaging winds brought down some tree limbs and power lines causing tens of thousands of people to be without power. The winds tore a section of roof off a Buffalo Raceway Barn in Hamburg and a car was crushed by a falling tree in Tonawanda. Gusty winds up to 69mph were reported at the Buffalo Coast Guard station.

October 31th

1954:A snowstorm dumped up to 10 inches of snow over parts of Chautauqua county, and just an inch reported at the Buffalo Airport.

1963:It was the second driest October in 93 years in Buffalo with 23 days straight of no rain. There was a ban on hunting and low water levels dried up some well and streams and parks were closed.

November 1st

1973:Gusty winds from a storm caused waves up to 10 feet and caused beach erosion in Hoover Beach and several boats also sunk in Small Boat Harbor.

1993:A Snowstorm dropped 6 to 14 inches of heavy wet snow over the southern tier which downed trees and power lines and also caused many vehicle accidents.

1996:Heavy lake effect snow produced 6 to 9 inches off of Lake Erie and caused some car accidents.

November 2nd

1966:Lake effect snow storm piled two feet of snow from south Buffalo through Lancaster, starting with a foot over Lewiston before shifting south.

1992:Strong winds brought down some trees causing damage to homes and cars in Dunkirk, Brocton and Ripley.

1999:Gusty winds brought down trees and power lines and windows were blown out in a showroom in Arcade.

November 3rd

1985: Heavy rain of more than 5 inches from remnants of hurricane Juan, broke daily records in Buffalo three days in a row starting on the 3rd. Flooding was reported in many locations, including Chautauqua Lake, the Chadokoin River, and Cassadaga, Conewango, and Smokes Creeks.

1991: More than 6 inches of snow hit Buffalo, Tonawanda (6"), Amherst, Lancaster (7") and Cheektowaga (8") from lake effect. Daily record snowfall of 5.2" was recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

1999: Record rainfall was recorded at the Buffalo Airport with more than 3" of rain falling in just a few hours. Flooding caused the evacuation of hundreds in Niagara County and in Tonawanda the closure of two polling places.

Lake effect snow then developed and dumped more than a foot of snow in spots: Ellicottville 14", New Albion 11", Little Valley 10".

November 4th

1991: Lake effect snow accumulated off of Lake Erie: Cheektowaga 8", Lancaster 7", Tonawanda 6".

1995: Heavy wet snow off the lakes accumulated in parts of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties of up to 8".

November 5th

1982: Heavy lake snows accumulated, 12.3 inches in the metropolitan Buffalo area causing backed up traffic for hours and a lot of tree damage due to the weight of the snow. The 12.3 inches broke a record for the date and also a record for the biggest snowfall early in the season.

1990: Strong winds caused twenty thousand homes in Buffalo to lose power from gusty winds up to 64 mph.

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of October 23rd in Western New York weather history reminds us of early season storms that dumped 2 feet of snow, and caused flash flooding.

October 23rd

1953:Forest fires happened and all state forests and parks were closed, after a 31 day stretch of dry conditions with very little rain.

October 24th

1937:Snow and strong winds caused accidents just south of Buffalo. And a 60 foot sailboat near Point Abino, Canada was abandoned by its five crew members as it went down from the winds which eventually crashed against the northern breakwall at the foot of Porter Street.

October 25th

1980:Rain from a strong storm system measured up to 3.5 inches causing Buffalo and Cayuga creeks to flood. Five people were killed in an accident in the Buffalo area while driving in the heavy rain. Rain ended as snow and up to 5 inches of snow was reported over parts of the western southern tier. Gusty winds tossed some small boats ashore and were damaged in Buffalo Harbor. Waves washed ashore and closed Old Lake Shore Road.

2001:Damaging winds brought down trees and power lines in Buffalo, Lockport and Royalton. A large tree also crushed a minivan and two people in it were injured.

October 26th

1967:Heavy lake effect rain, snow, sleet and hail centered over the Buffalo Airport and localized flooding was reported.

October 27th

1981:Heavy rain caused flash flooding in Allegany country and families were evacuated in Wellsville and Scio, also four school districts were forced to close.

October 28th

1983:Gusty winds up to 61mph were reported at the Buffalo Airport. In Bergen, a seven year old boy was killed when a tree branch fell and hit him.

October 29th

1934:Several waterspouts were recorded near Buffalo including a waterspout visible from the Weather Bureau Office over Lake Erie just outside the outer break wall.

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of October 16th in Western New York weather history reminds us of snow storms, waterspouts near Buffalo and trees falling on cars.

October 16th

1984: Dense fog was reported across much of Western New York.

1992: Damaging winds were reported in the Buffalo metro area bringing down some trees and power lines. Wind gusts up to 58 mph were recorded along Lake Ontario.

October 17th

1947: Record high temperatures of 80 degrees in Buffalo then 85 degrees on October 17th, and then 84 degrees made for a three day stretch of record highs that year.

2001: Downed trees were recorded in Salamanca, Jamestown, and Colden from strong winds.

October 18th

1967: Up to 4 inches of rain was recorded in the hills of Cattaraugus county.

1981: Wind gusts up to 56mph at the Buffalo Airport, and 6500 homes lost power locally. Some beach erosion happened on the east shore of Lake Erie.

1988: Gusty winds caused power outages and in Kenmore a large tree was blown onto a truck. Heavy rain also caused some flooded roads and basements in the southern tier.

1990: Strong winds brought down trees and power lines in the Niagara Frontier and western southern tier.

October 19th

1996: Rainfall of three to four inches recorded across the Genesee Valley from an intense storm system. Roads were closed and many basements flooded including in Albion.

October 20th

1995: Wind damage was reported in Mayville, Franklinville, and Hamburg from a strong cold front. Heavy rain also fell resulting in street flooding near Ripley.

October 21st

1976: Waterspouts over Lake Erie near the Buffalo Harbor were seen by many in office buildings in downtown Buffalo.

1993: Strong winds funneled down Lake Erie and caused damage including in Dunkirk where a 40 foot tree fell landing on a passing car and trapped the driver for half an hour. The tree also flattened a minivan and another car. Scattered power outages and downed trees were reported throughout Erie and Chautauqua counties. A peak wind gust of 61 mph was recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

2001: Thunderstorms moved into the western southern tier causing damage to trees and power lines in Lakewood, Ellicottville, Franklinville and Cuba. A barn in Lyndon had extensive structural damage when portions of the roof were ripped off. Inch size hail was also reported with the storms covering the ground.

October 22nd

1976:Heavy snow hit Mayville and up to 12 inches of snow in Cherry Creek and 9 inches in Little Valley. Schools were closed in Andover, Belmont and Cuba from the heavy snow which brought down tree limbs onto power lines in many locations.

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Buffalo, NY -- This week of October 9th in Western New York weather history reminds us of the October snowstorm of 2006, damaging winds, hail and record heat.

Oct 9th

1950: In 24 hours 1.53" of rain was recorded at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Heavy rain across Western New York produced street flooding in many locations.

Oct 10th

1906: A big snowstorm hit the Niagara Frontier. Rain changed to heavy wet snow and winds picked up quickly. 2.6" of heavy wet snow was reported. Many leaves were still on trees and many tree limbs were brought down and also wires. Two deaths were reported by broken wires. Tree limbs were brought to the ground and many trees were broken to pieces. The snow collected rapidly on wires and broke them in many places in the city and surrounding areas, with many power outages reported.

Oct 11th

1932: Lake waters increased in the Buffalo Harbor from a strong southwesterly wind, and one vessel, the freighter Norway, broke away and dragged its anchor causing some damage. Several other smaller boats were overturned. Gusty winds caused damage including uprooted trees and power lines blown down.

Oct 12th

1992: Strong winds were recorded especially along Lake Erie. Gusts up to 54mph at the Buffalo Coast Guard, and sustained winds of 40mph in Dunkirk and Buffalo.

2006: The major October snowstorm of 2006 happened. Heavy rain turned to heavy wet snow which dumped 22.6 inches of snow at the Buffalo Airport in 24 hours. One foot was recorded in just 4 hours. Many leaves were still on trees and the heavy wet snow brought down communities of trees. Those damages are still seen today. One death was reported, a man killed from a large falling tree limb. Depew, Lancaster and Alden received 24 inches, and Amherst up to 22 inches.

October 13th

1999: Strong winds brought down trees that damaged homes in South Buffalo and Elma. Hail was also reported in many cities in Erie county. Peak wind gusts of 71 mph were reported in Lewiston.

October 14th

1983:A cold front brought strong gusty winds up to 60mph and hail. Many trees and power lines were reported down and 2200 homes in Amherst lost power. Temperatures dropped from record highs the previous day to cold temperatures and some snow.

1989:Severe storms blew over trees and power lines in places such as Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties. A house trailer was blown off its foundation in Hartland. In Medina, 7000 residents lost power and the Medina Armory had part of its roof peeled off. Nearly a million bushels of apples in Niagara and Orleans counties were damaged by hail and strong winds.

2001: Strong winds ahead of a cold front brought down trees and power lines in South Wales, Jamestown, Belfast and Dunkirk.

October 15th

1954: Strong winds by remnants of hurricane Hazel caused damage.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of October 2nd in Western New York we remember the earliest snowfall on record in Buffalo, the major snowstorm of 1906, and also remnants of a hurricane which caused flooding.

Oct 5

1955: Daily record rain, and a 24-hour rainfall of 3.11 inches recorded at the Buffalo Airport.

1995: Remnants of Hurricane Opal passed near Buffalo to the west and brought two to three inches of rain for much of the area. Even isolated amounts of near four inches were reported in parts of the western Southern Tier and some flooding.

Oct 6

1991: The first cold spell of the season with some thunderstorms, and 0.2 inch of sleet recorded. It was the earliest measurable snowfall received in Buffalo establishing a record for the date. Some lake effect snow well south of Buffalo brought an inch of snow over parts of Cattaraugus county.

Oct 7

1991: Heavy wet snow, 8 to 10 inches deep, fell in Allegany county and brought down trees and power lines which forced closings of some schools. No precipitation was reported at the Buffalo Airport.

Oct 8th

No Significant weather events happened on this date in history.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 25th in Western New York remnants of a hurricane produced record rainfall.

Sept 28

1962: Strong easterly winds lowered Lake Erie waters by several feet.

Sept 29

1986: A waterspout moved off Lake Ontario into northwest Orleans county near Lyndonville. The tornado crossed West Lake road and moved into the village of Shadigee then back to Lake Ontario. Most of the damage was to one house on West Lake Road with minor damages to many other residences in Shadigee.

Sept 30

1959: The remnants of Hurricane Gracie hit Buffalo producing the heaviest rainfall since October 1955. At the Buffalo Airport rainfall of 2.68 inches was recorded in 24 hours.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 18th in Western New York many boats were damaged by strong winds.

Sept 21

1954: Strong winds damaged small boats, toppled trees and power lines in Buffalo.

Sept 22

1983: Hail as large as marbles hit east of Lake Erie. Waterspouts were also reported over the lake near Buffalo, Dunkirk, and Angola.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 11th in Western New York remnants of a tropical storm brought flooding rains.

Sept 14

1979: The remnants of Tropical Storm Frederic brought record amounts of rainfall to western New York and the Buffalo International Airport received 4.94 inches in a 24 hour period. The max was 7.10 inches at Holley. Frederic's rains caused flooding over much of western New York and the Buffalo metropolitan area with most streams above their flood stages, basement floodings, power outages, many roads and schools and offices closed. Many property owners who lived near streams were evacuated.

Sept 15

1966: Heavy rainfall totals of 6" were reported from the Town of Tonawanda in a 36 hour period and storm sewers and drains could not handle the runoff forcing the closure of over 30 streets and serious basement flooding in thousands of homes.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of September 4th in Western New York heavy rain closed down roads.

Sept 7

1970: Heavy rain caused extensive damage in northern Chautauqua county, where more than two inches of rain fell in a four-hour period. The rain washed out vineyards and closed roads.

Sept 8

1970: Heavy rain caused major damage in northern Chautauqua county where more than two inches of rain fell in a four-hour period. Washed out vineyards, closed roads, and power failures resulted.

Sept 9

1929: A storm across Buffalo had rainfall of 1.61 inches in less than 2 hours, was greater than the total amount recorded during either July or August. I did relieve prolonged drought conditions there but the Hertel-Colvin section had moderate flooding, street and railway traffic was delayed considerably.

2004:

Western New York had drenching rains from remnants of hurricane Frances, rainfall totaled 3 to 5 inches, much of it falling in a 6 to 9 hour period. Several creeks in the Buffalo and Rochester areas recorded their greatest flows and highest gage levels ever in a non-winter/spring season. Cazenovia Creek at Ebenezer was above the 10 foot flood stage cresting at 14.85 feet. Buffalo Creek at Gardenville was above the 7 foot flood stage cresting at 8.71 feet. Cayuga Creek at Lancaster was above the 8 foot flood stage cresting at 9.59 feet. Allegheny River at Salamanca was above the 12 foot flood stage cresting at 12.33 feet. Ellicott Creek at Williamsville was above the 8 foot flood stage cresting at 9.87 feet. Tonawanda Creek at Batavia was above the 9 foot flood stage cresting at 10.12 feet. In Cowlesville, Wyoming County, a three-year-old boy drowned when he was swept away by flood waters while playing near a stream.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 28th in Western New York a tornado touched down in Clarence.

Aug 28

1994: Thunderstorms hit and a man was injured in Lockport when he was pinned in his automobile by a falling tree. Also the storms spawned three separate tornadoes!

A weak tornado touched down in Lockport damaging some trees and a house had minor roof damage.

A fast moving weak tornado produced some damage in Fredonia at the fair grounds were two were injured by flying debris at the Farmer's Fair. A house sustained significant damage to its roof and had several windows broken.

Finally a weak tornado made a brief touchdown in the northwest corner of the town of Amherst. With the exception of two windows being blown out of a house, damage was confined to trees and shrubs.

Aug 31

1993: Thunderstorms in Erie county spawned a small tornado in Clarence during the early morning hours. Downburst winds with an embedded tornado downed numerous trees and falling trees caused some structural damage to homes.

Sept 1

1977: Thunderstorms in the town of Dayton caused lightning which struck four children causing serious injuries to two. High winds, hail, and lightning left power line and tree damage especially near Cherry Creek.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 21st in Western New York several tornadoes hit WNY including Lockport, Amherst and Fredonia.

Aug 24

1999: Severe storms downed trees and power lines in North Tonawanda and Lewiston. Also winds overturned a travel trailer in the KOA Campground on Grand Island, and torrential rains produced flash flooding Tonawanda and north Buffalo.

Aug 25

1994: A tornado touched down in Lockport and damage was reported on one property where three large trees were downed and windows were blown out of a garage.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 14th in Western New York a tornado touched down in Eden, and strong storms caused flooded streets.

Aug 17

1932: Storms and heavy rain caused many streets to flood across the Niagara Frontier, water being half a foot or more deep. A seaplane was overturned and two small fires occurred from lightning. Some good news, after a week of dry weather, the soaking rains were beneficial to golf courses, crops, and vegetation.

Aug 18

1900: The streets quickly flooded from downpours in many parts of the city, and in the northwest side of Buffalo street cars had to suspend operations.

Aug 19

1970: A tornado touched down in Eden and a home was completely destroyed along its 200 yard path.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of August 7th in Western New York, thunderstorms caused wind and hail damage.

Aug 10

1926: Storms downed trees and power lines resulting in scattered power outages, and three-quarter inch hail fell in Lancaster.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 31st in Western New York, a tornado and damaging winds moved through the area.

Aug 3

1970: A violent storm hit Dunkirk causing downed trees and power lines and some property damage.

Aug 4

1989: A windstorm caused damage in Buffalo and in Eden, the Annual Corn Festival was interrupted by estimated winds of 50 mph when several tents collapsed.

Aug 5

2003: Thunderstorms produced downburst winds of 60 mph which downed trees and power lines in West Falls. The storms produced several inches of rain over parts of the southern tier and in Allegany county flash flooding and road closures happened, state Routes 417 and 19 were closed.

Aug 6

1926: Storms brought strong winds and flooding rain. Streets were flooded in the Hertel area. One frame house under construction was blown down and many places struck by lightning, including a barn at Kusteran farm, near Angola; barn Wilcox farm on Hemlock Rd. in Eden; a Jefferson Ave. trolley car. Some telephone poles were blown down.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 24th in Western New York, a tornado and damaging winds moved through the area.

July 27

1955: A thundersquall caused local flash flooding and knocked down trees and power lines.

July 30

1987: A tornado hit the town of Cheektowaga which flipped cars on the N.Y.S. Thruway and caused about 5 million dollars in damage to homes and businesses including the George Urban/Miami parkway area of the town. Major damage was sustained by three homes while over 100 homes reported minor damage.

1996: During the evening a small tornado touched down in Canaseraga, Allegany county which uprooted trees and tore parts of a metal roof off a barn and shingles off a mobile home.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 17th in Western New York strong winds, hail, flooding and lightning caused damage.

July 20

2004: Storms produced hail over Niagara and Orleans counties, three-quarter inch hail was reported in Sanborn and one-inch hail in Ridgeway.

July 21

2003: Thunderstorms with strong winds downed trees in Cuba, and Portville had straight-line wind damage when a barn was blown down. Heavy rains of more than 2 inches caused urban and small stream flooding in Cuba and Olean . In Fredonia, lightning struck a house.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 10th in Western New York, funnel clouds moved through the area.

July 13

2003: Several funnel clouds developed from storms along the convergence of Lakes Erie and Ontario lake breeze boundaries. No damage was reported.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of July 3rd in Western New York, tornadoes touched down and lightning went through a house.

July 3

1999: Severe storms produced heavy downpours, up to three inches in some spots, strong winds and large hail, and localized poor drainage flooding. Funnel clouds were sighted in Freedom. A swath of hail between one-half and one-mile wide hit Wyoming county and windows were broken and siding and shutters were damaged as a result. Hundreds of acres of corn were damaged. In Yorkshire, a large equipment shed was blown apart. In Delevan, a large barn and two concrete silos were destroyed. At the Freedom Speedway, several large trees were moved, light poles were bent over and a cinder block building was moved off its foundation, due to straight line winds.

July 4

1983: A cold front with storms and damaging winds moved through the Buffalo area which brought hail to Orchard Park, winds gusting to 50 mph, and an unconfirmed report of a funnel cloud in Lancaster.

July 6

1994: Storms moved through and an Amherst resident apparently encountered a ball of lightning about the size of a beach ball rolling down the upstairs hall which went through a bedroom door and window and damaged some electrical appliances.

July 7

1965: Severe storms moved through and one produced hail and small tornadoes including tornado clouds at Curriers, Wyoming county and Williamsville and Akron in Erie county.

July 8

1998: Storms brought three to five inches of rain across parts of Erie, Genesee, and Wyoming counties, widespread devastating flash flooding was reported. Many small streams and creeks became raging torrents and the upper reaches of the Tonawanda Creek rose drastically--faster than at any time in at least 30 years according to locals--and flooded out much of the Village of Attica. Two deaths resulted from the flooding including a 28 year-old female and a 17 year-old male drowned while attempting to rescue animals from the basement of an animal clinic.

The Tonawanda creek which rose well above flood stage downstream to Batavia. Cayuga creek at Lancaster rose above flood stage for several hours. A State of Emergency was declared for all of Wyoming County. Nearly 400 buildings were damaged in Wyoming county and damage to crop land was severe.

July 9

1999:Severe storms crossed Erie, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties producing damaging winds, downpours, and hail. Downed trees and power lines reported. Falling trees resulted in structure damage in Cassadaga and Ellicottville. A funnel was also sighted in Cassadaga. In Sinclairville, the strong winds leveled a large barn.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 26th in Western New York, tornadoes caused damage.

June 29

1980:Several funnel clouds were reported on grand island, Youngstown and in the Akron/Newstead. Tornadoes reportedly touched down in Franklinville where winds cut a 50 foot wide path through trees, and in Ellicottville a home and mobile home were damaged. Fallen trees closed a portion of route 242 in Franklinville.

June 30

1976: Severe storms caused a peak gust of 69 mph at Buffalo Airport, and a house was struck by lightning and set fire on Dakota street.

2006: Storms developed producing hail up to one inch in diameter, and a storm spawned a tornado which moved across the Town of Cheektowaga. Report from the National Weather Service in Buffalo reads: The tornado initially touched down on Walden Avenue near Harlem Road and traveled from the northwest to the southeast through the town. On Walden Avenue, a construction trailer was moved several hundred feet. The worker in the trailer suffered minor injuries. As the tornado moved across the New York State Thruway, it lifted a tractor trailer and deposited on its side across the Jersey barrier. The driver of the truck suffered a broken leg. The tornado continued on its southeast trek damaging a 20 by 30 foot section of a wall on a warehouse and then downed trees as it crossed through central Cheektowaga. The tornado touched down several times along its path. Its final touchdown was at the Parkside Village Mobile Home Park around 3:05 p.m. where three mobile homes sustained significant damage and eight others sustained minor damage. The tornado was ranked an F1 with a path length of three miles and a width of 75 yards.

July 1

1953: A line of severe storms hit Grand Island, the Tonawandas, and north Buffalo bringing destructive winds: at the airport 59mph winds, heavy rain 2.27 inches in a 3-hour period, and hail caused damage estimated around two million dollars.

July 2

1963: A line of severe storms moved through western New York. A tornado touched down near the city of Jamestown and a fatal airplane crash occurred at Rochester.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 19th in Western New York, gusty winds on Lake Erie capsized boats, and a tornado damaged a house.

June 19

1908: Heavy rain and a windstorm in Buffalo with winds of 56 mph and extreme gusts of 69 mph caused damage. Many valuable trees were blown down, streetcar traffic stopped by broken wires, or obstructing trunks of trees. A church being built on East Ferry street was blown down. Two boys who had sought refuge there were seriously injured by falling timbers.

June 20

1969: Thunderstorms spawned tornadoes which ripped through sections of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. Hardest hit were a factory in Jamestown and the towns of Gerry and Bemus Point. No injuries were reported.

June 21

1972: Remnants of hurricane Agnes dumped 3.97 inches of rain in a couple days with up to a foot or more over portions of the southern tier. Devastating flooding reached record levels in Allegany, and Cattaraugus counties and the dike system was exceeded in Salamanca. Property damage was in the hundreds of millions of dollars with 24 deaths in New York state.

June 22

1985:Strong winds on Lake Erie gusting to 41 mph capsized several small vessels which caused four people to go into the water. One person drowned two teenage girls were stranded adrift a rubber raft for 16 hours about four miles west of Silver Creek before being rescued by the Coast Guard.

June 23

1989: Several streams already swollen, flooded from heavy rains: Lockport, Albion and Arcade reported rainfall of 3.3, 3.0, and 2.9". States of emergency were declared for the village of Arcade and Albion. In Arcade, trees were uprooted and moved 500 feet by the flood waters and waters ate away the roadbed of the Conrail line in the town of Dale. In Genesee county, three bridges washed away. The Allegheny River crested about 3.5 feet above flood stage at Olean and Salamanca, and a bridge in Franklinville was washed out. In Portville, 50 persons had to be evacuated from their homes, and flooding closed portions of State Routes 219, 242, 16, and 98.

June 24

1994: Severe storms brought damaging winds in Hamburg and East Aurora, and produced a weak tornado in Angola. The tornado mainly uprooted trees, one tree fell onto a house.

June 25

1997: Strong storms, which developed along lake breezes from Lakes Erie and Ontario winds, downed trees and power lines in Niagara, Orleans, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, creating scattered power outages.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 12th in Western New York, remnants of a hurricane brought devastating floods.

June 15

1991: Storms over southern Erie and Chautauqua counties produced damaging wind gusts over 45 mph which downed trees and power lines in Evans and Angola, and also Jamestown. Marble-size hail was reported in the town of Harmony and in Jamestown.

June 16

1986: Severe thunderstorms brought a peak gust of 69 mph at the Buffalo Airport. The storms cut electricity to nearly 18,000 homes around Buffalo. A house was struck by lightning and set fire on Dakota street.

2008: Western New York experienced a rare widespread damaging hail event across southern Niagara, southern Orleans counties especially, hail of up to two inches in diameter. One storm formed over Grand Island and moved into the northern and eastern suburbs of Buffalo. The golf-ball sized hail damaged thousands of automobiles as well as windows, roofs and awnings on homes. At the Amherst Middle School, the hail pierced 1200 to 1500 holes in the skylight roof. While property damage was significant, the damage to area crops was devastating.

June 17

1970: Storm brought power outages to Niagara and drenching rains flooded streets in Lockport. Lightning also struck four homes and a church in Amherst but damage was light.

June 18

1990: Severe thunderstorms downed trees and power lines causing numerous power outages. Several reports of homes damaged by falling trees were received and state of emergency declared in Brownville as downed trees and power lines blocked the main streets. Two people were trapped in their cars when live wires fell onto the street. Specific reports of wind damage were received from Falconer, Elma, Lancaster, Wilson, Batavia, and Murray.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of June 5th in Western New York, large hail and gusty winds caused damage.

June 7

1980: Strong storms caused downed trees and power lines and heavy rain caused street flooding. Also a wind gust of 79 mph was recorded at the Buffalo Airport and golf ball sized hail was reported.

June 8

2007: Storms downed trees and power lines including in Concord, Hamburg, Gerry, Westfield, Niagara Falls, LeRoy, Varysburg, Otto, Orchard Park, Bemus Point, Byron, Castile.

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Buffalo, NY -- During the week of May 29th in Western New York, a tornado hit several local towns.

June 1

1977: Severe storms brought up to ½ inch hail, strong gusty winds and heavy rain for Niagara Falls. Also some large trees were uprooted and fell across parked cars, while in other sections of the city power lines were downed and roofs were damaged by falling tree limbs.

1986: Storms dumped 1.15 inches of rain at the Buffalo Airport which set a record for that date. And the thunderstorms knocked out power to between 5,000 and 6,000 customers in Buffalo, and also power outages in the towns of Amherst, Tonawanda, Elma, West Seneca, Hamburg, Orchard park, Alden and Marilla.

June 2

1998: Severe storms moved through and a tornado struck Wyoming county and did substantial damage to numerous structures and completely destroyed several others. The initial touchdown of the tornado occurred in Orangeville and went near the Village of Warsaw damaging two houses, then the tornado followed near the border of the Towns of Perry and Castile damaging several sheds and docks as it crossed Silver Lake. The final traces of the tornado were in Castile.

Buffalo, NY -- During the week of May 8th in Western New York, heavy rain caused flooding.

May 8

1989: A late season storm dropped up to twelve inches of snow across the western southern tier and the Niagara Frontier! Buffalo received just under eight inches. The heavy, wet snow downed power lines and trees and nearly 13,000 customers were without electricity in much of Orleans and parts of northeast Genesee counties.

2004: Heavy rains and storms in the southern tier brought up to three inches of rain in less than two hours. Basements were flooded in Jamestown, Olean and Allegany and many roads were partially or totally washed out and closed.

May 11

1989: It was nearly two weeks of consistent rainfall across the western southern tier which caused streams and creeks to reach bankful. Several roads were flooded and closed and at the Onoville Marina on the Allegheny River, ramps to the docks were under two feet of water. And there was a mud slide on one of the ski slopes at the Holiday Valley Resort Area in Ellicottville.

May 12

1952: Heavy rain, 1.70 inches, was recorded at the Buffalo airport and flood damage was reported along the lake and river.

May 13

2006: Storms along the south shore of Lake Ontario brought hail as large as 1.75 inches reported in Port Byron, and one inch hail in Rochester.

May 14

1989: Lightning struck and killed two softball players in Randolph, as they sought shelter from a thunderstorm under a tree. Four other players who had also run under the tree were treated for shock and minor injuries.

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There is a detailed version of local daily weather events on the National Weather Service website.

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