Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
Issued by NWS Buffalo, NY
747
CXUS51 KBUF 060444
CLMBUF
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1025 AM EST SAT FEB 01 2025
...................................
...THE BUFFALO NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2025...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2025
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 72 01/25/1950
LOW -16 01/17/1982
HIGHEST 42 01/01 52 01/09
01/18
01/31
LOWEST -5 01/22 6 01/17
01/20
AVG. MAXIMUM 29.4 32.1 -2.7 33.9
AVG. MINIMUM 18.6 19.0 -0.4 24.9
MEAN 24.0 25.5 -1.5 29.4
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 20 16.4 3.6 12
DAYS MIN <= 32 30 27.1 2.9 26
DAYS MIN <= 0 1 1.8 -0.8 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.88 1982
MINIMUM 0.89 1921
TOTALS 1.98 3.35 -1.37 5.67
DAYS >= .01 18 22
DAYS >= .10 7 14
DAYS >= .50 0 2
DAYS >= 1.00 0 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.45 01/31 TO 01/31 1.07 01/26 TO 01/26
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 68.3 1977
TOTALS 29.2 26.7 2.5 45.6
SINCE 7/1 52.4 60.7 -8.3
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 3 6
DAYS >= 1.0 12 7.5 4.5 10
DAYS >= 0.1 20 19
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 9 01/24 21 01/19
01/20
24 HR TOTAL MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1264 1223 41 1094
SINCE 7/1 3182 3532 -350 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 12.9
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 43/240
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 63/230 DATE 01/27
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 0
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 9
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 22
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 68
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 1 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 1
LIGHT RAIN 3 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 4 SNOW 7
LIGHT SNOW 31 SLEET 0
FOG 13 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 4
HAZE 11
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
&&
... COLD WITH SNOW TO START THE NEW YEAR ...
THE NEW YEAR BROUGHT CHANGES WITH ARCTIC AIR GRIPPING THE GREAT
LAKES REGION THROUGH MUCH OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY. THESE COLD
AIRMASSES SENT BOUTS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW, PREDOMINATELY ON A WEST TO
NORTHWEST FLOW, DOWNWIND OF THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. THE COLD AIR,
COUPLED WITH A BREEZE THROUGH THE MONTH ALLOWED FOR LAKE ERIE TO
FREEZE OVER FOR THE FINAL WEEK OF THE MONTH.
THE TEMPERATURE AVERAGED 24.0F THIS MONTH WHICH FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 14 MONTHS AVERAGED BELOW THE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE AVERAGE. THE 1.5
DEGREE DEPARTURE IS THE LARGEST NEGATIVE DEPARTURE SINCE AUGUST OF
2023. THE COLDEST DAY WAS THE 22ND OF THE MONTH WHICH FEATURED FOR
THE FIRST TIME SINCE FEBRUARY OF 2019 A TEMPERATURE BELOW ZERO THIS
AT -5F ON THE MORNING HOURS OF THE 22ND. THERE WERE 17 DAYS
AVERAGING BELOW THEIR DAILY NORMAL, AND 13 DAYS ABOVE THEIR DAILY
NORMAL THIS MONTH.
PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.98 INCHES THIS MONTH WHICH IS MORE THAN AN
INCH AND A THIRD BELOW NORMAL. EVERY DAY HAD AT LEAST A TRACE OF
PRECIPITATION WHICH OCCURRED FOR THE FIRST MONTH SINCE FEBRUARY OF
2013. THE PRECIPITATION THIS MONTH WAS MAINLY IN THE FORM OF SNOW,
OUTSIDE OF THE FIRST AND LAST DAYS OF THE MONTH WHICH FEATURED RAIN
IN ADDITION TO SNOW. THIS SNOW WAS ALSO PRIMARILY LAKE EFFECT, WITH
THE LACK OF LARGE SCALE SYNOPTIC SYSTEMS THIS MONTH AIDING IN A
MONTH FEATURING BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION. SNOW TOTALED 29.1 INCHES
WHICH IS 2.4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE PERSISTENT COLD THROUGH THE
MONTH ALLOWED FOR AT LEAST A TRACE OF SNOWFALL ON EVERY DAY OF THE
MONTH, AND THE 20 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE SNOWFALL IS 3 DAYS MORE THAN
NORMAL.
A WEAKENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM STARTED THE EARLY HOURS OF THE NEW
YEAR WITH LIGHT RAIN, BEFORE COLDER AIR TRANSITIONED THE RAIN TO
SNOW THROUGH THE PRE-DAWN HOURS. THIS PLUNGE OF COLDER AIR BROUGHT
THE FIRST OF FIVE LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENTS FOR THE MONTH. INITIALLY,
SYNOPTIC SNOW FELL ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK, BUT AS THE COLD AIR
DEEPENED BANDS OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW MOVED OVER THE SOUTHERN TIER, AND
SLOWLY PUSHED NORTHWARD TOWARDS THE BUFFALO SOUTHTOWNS. NORTHWEST
FLOW MAINTAINED THIS LAKE SNOW INTO SUNDAY JANUARY 5TH, WITH UP TO
TWO FEET OF SNOW ACCUMULATING ON THE HILLS WELL SOUTH OF BUFFALO.
WINTER`S CHILL REMAINED AFTER THIS EVENT WITH LIGHT SNOW THROUGH MID-
MONTH. THE SECOND LAKE EFFECT EVENT OF THE MONTH OCCURRED JANUARY
13TH TO 15TH THAT FEATURED PRIMARILY WESTERLY FLOW. THIS AGAIN
DIRECTED THE HIGHER SNOW TOTALS SOUTH OF BUFFALO WITH AROUND TWO AND
A HALF FEET OF SNOW ACCUMULATING OVER THIS THREE DAY STRETCH.
SEVERAL FRONTS PASSED ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK ON THE 16TH, BRINGING
THE GREATEST CALENDAR DAY SNOW EVENT OF THE MONTH, THIS AT 4.8
INCHES FOR BUFFALO. TIMING WAS POOR, OCCURRING DURING THE MID TO
LATE AFTERNOON HOURS WHICH GREATLY SLOWED THE EVENING COMMUTE. THE
THIRD LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT OF THE MONTH FEATURED A MESOLOW OVER
THE WESTERN WATERS OF LAKE ONTARIO. THIS FEATURE, FORMED ALONG A
LAKE AGGREGATE TROUGH WHICH IS COMMON IN ARCTIC AIRMASSES, AND
BROUGHT AROUND A FOOT OF SNOW IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF JANUARY
20TH FROM NIAGARA TO MONROE COUNTIES. LAKE SNOWS THROUGHOUT THE
DURATION OF THIS THIRD LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT AGAIN WERE PRIMARILY
SOUTH OF BUFFALO THROUGH THE 22ND. AS A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVED
OVER WESTERN NEW YORK IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 22ND, THE
SKIES CLEARED AND ALLOWED FOR TEMPERATURES TO DROP TO VALUES NOT
SEEN IN SEVERAL YEARS FOR THE BUFFALO METRO AREA. THE -5F READING
WAS THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE AT THE AIRPORT IN NEARLY 6 YEARS WHICH
MORE THAN DOUBLED THE FORMER GREATEST PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN
NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES. THESE COLD TEMPERATURES ALSO ALLOWED FOR THE
ICE COVERAGE ON LAKE ERIE TO INCREASE OVER 50 PERCENT, WITH SOLID
ICE ON THE FAR NORTHEAST END OF THE LAKE. THE FOURTH LAKE EFFECT
SNOW EVENT OF THE MONTH IMPACTED THE BUFFALO METRO AREA DURING THE
LATE EVENING HOURS OF THE 24TH. THIS SNOWBAND DROPPED SOUTHWARD AND
DEPOSITED A HALF TO ONE FOOT OF SNOW ACROSS SOUTHERN ERIE COUNTY.
SNOW ALONG THE SOUTHERN LAKE ONTARIO SHORELINE AMOUNTED TO CLOSE TO
A HALF A FOOT TOWARDS MONROE COUNTY. THE PERSISTENT FLOW OF COLDER
AIR OVER LAKE ERIE CREATED ADDITIONAL ICE COVERAGE. AS SUCH THE LAST
LAKE EFFECT SNOW EVENT OF THE MONTH WITH TEMPERATURES ALOFT JUST
MARGINALLY COLD ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LAKE EFFECT SNOW PRODUCED ONLY
MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EAST OF LAKE ERIE, WHILE EAST OF LAKE
ONTARIO WHERE THE WATER TEMPERATURE WAS A FEW DEGREES WARMER AND
OPEN, A FOOT OF SNOW FELL.
THE TEMPERATURE ON LAKE ERIE DROPPED FROM 39F AT THE START OF THE
MONTH DOWN TO 32 BY THE CLOSURE OF THE MONTH. THIS MARKS THE FIRST
YEAR SINCE 2022 THAT THE LAKE FROZE, WITH JANUARY 26TH THE FIRST
DATE REACHING 32F. IT WAS A BREEZY MONTH AS WELL WITH THE OBSERVED
WIND SPEED FOR THE MONTH A BIT ABOVE NORMAL, ALMOST AVERAGING 13
MPH. THE STRONGEST GUST OCCURRED ON THE 27TH, WITH A 63 MPH GUST
RECORDED AT THE AIRPORT. THIS WAS FROM A VERY DEEP LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM NEAR HUDSON BAY THAT BROUGHT STRONG WINDS ACROSS THE GREAT
LAKES.
IN ALL A RETURN TO CLASSIC WINTER WITH SNOW, COLD AND A FROZEN
LAKE.
&&
$$