New York winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 62 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 13,456 winter storm records in New York from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 441 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 23, 2022 blizzard: 44 deaths and $15.1 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 5 records. New York ranks 2nd of 51 states and territories by count and 10th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in New York, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 13,4561996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 441average
- Deaths
- 133487 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $741Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2008843 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in New York?
New York averages about 441 winter storm records a year since 2000, 2nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2008 (843). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New York records 2855 winter storm records since 1996, 10th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in New York have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Schenectady County leads New York: 207 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 1011.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, St. Lawrence County has the most winter storm records (641 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in New York?
50% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (3,617 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 3,617 · Feb 3,101 · Mar 2,061 · Apr 475 · May 39 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 182 · Nov 963 · Dec 3,018 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in New York?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-12-23 | BlizzardErie County · forecast zone Northern Erie One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. A historic lake effect blizzard occurred northeast of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario during the Christmas holiday weekend. The combination of high winds in excess of 70 mph and heavy lake effect snow resulted in devastating impacts across western New York and also east of Lake Ontario from December 23 through December 27. ... | 44 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2014-11-17 | Lake-Effect SnowErie County · forecast zone Northern Erie One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. The epic November 17-19th 2014 lake effect event will be remembered as one of the most significant winter events in Buffalo’s snowy history. Over 5 feet of snow fell over areas just east of Buffalo, with mere inches a few miles away to the north. There were 13 fatalities with this storm, hundreds of major roof ... | 9 | 9 | $6.9M | |
| 2013-02-08 | BlizzardSuffolk County · forecast zone Northwest Suffolk One storm episode: 4 records; the totals are the episode's. Low pressure that formed along the northern Gulf coast by the morning of Thursday, February 7, 2013 moved northeast to near Cape Hatteras by the morning of Friday, February 8, 2013 . The low then rapidly intensified while moving northeast to a position east of Cape Cod by the morning of Saturday, February 9, 2013, ... | 7 | 0 | $33M | |
| 2016-01-22 | Winter StormQueens County · forecast zone Northern Queens One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places, 2016-01-22 to 2016-01-23; the totals are the episode's. Low pressure moving across the deep South on Thursday January 21st and Friday January 22nd intensifed and moved off the Mid Atlantic coast on Saturday January 23rd, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to southeast New York, and blizzard conditions to Long Island, New York City, and nearby southern Westchester County. ... | 6 | 2 | – | |
| 2026-02-23 | BlizzardNassau County · forecast zone Northern Nassau One storm episode: 17 records in 11 places; the totals are the episode's. Low pressure in the gulf states moved northeast and intensified along and off the Mid Atlantic coast with the consolidated of mid level energy resulting in a major Nor'easter which brought blizzard and near blizzard conditions to Southeastern New York. The storm became vertically stacked and it slowly pulled away to ... | 6 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-11-19 | Lake-Effect SnowErie County · forecast zone Northern Erie One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places, 2014-11-19 to 2014-11-20; the totals are the episode's. Lake effect snow developed over Eastern Lake Erie and Southern Ontario Wednesday (19) evening on a southwest flow. Cloud to ground lightning was noted near Long Point near the onset of the activity. As the cold air deepened and low level winds veered, the lake band pivoted east and aligned itself with Lake Erie, ... | 4 | 4 | $7.1M | |
| 2008-02-01 | Winter WeatherColumbia County · forecast zone Western Columbia A 39 year old woman died after her car slid off a road and hit a tree in Elizaville at approximately 1242 EST. She was driving southbound on Route 19 when she lost control of her car. Icy roads from freezing rain were believed to be a contributing factor in the accident. In addition, 3 people were killed, while one ... | 4 | 1 | – | |
| 1996-03-06 | Heavy SnowTompkins County · forecast zone Tompkins One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A winter storm formed over the Carolinas and tracked up the coast, bringing heavy snow to central New York. Snowfall accumulations ranged from 6 to 12 inches by the time the snow tapered off on the evening of the 7th. During the height of the storm, many accidents were reported due to poor visibility, including one in ... | 3 | 10 | – | |
| 2007-01-15 | Ice StormCayuga County · forecast zone Southern Cayuga Ice coated trees and limbs fell on power lines in spotty areas across the county. A 3 fatality motor vehicle accident was blamed on the icy road conditions. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-11-17 | Lake-Effect SnowErie County · forecast zone Northern Erie One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. The incipient lake effect bands formed over far southern Erie County early in the morning hours of Thursday, November 17. The much more intense portion of this event really started with a bang on Thursday evening as an incredibly strong dominant band of lake effect snow developed into the Buffalo area. This intense ... | 3 | 0 | $31M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in New York
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-10-12 | Lake-Effect SnowErie County · forecast zone Northern Erie One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $228M | |
| 2003-04-04 | Ice StormCayuga County · forecast zone Northern Cayuga One storm episode: 9 records in 9 places, 2003-04-04 to 2003-04-05; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $60M | |
| 2000-11-20 | Heavy SnowErie County · forecast zone Erie One storm episode: 15 records in 14 places, 2000-11-20 to 2000-11-22; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $59M | |
| 2013-02-08 | BlizzardSuffolk County · forecast zone Northwest Suffolk One storm episode: 4 records; the totals are the episode's. | 7 | 0 | $33M | |
| 2003-02-17 | Heavy SnowBronx County · forecast zone New York (Manhattan) | 0 | 0 | $32M | |
| 2022-11-17 | Lake-Effect SnowErie County · forecast zone Northern Erie One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 0 | $31M | |
| 2003-04-04 | Ice StormOnondaga County · forecast zone Onondaga One storm episode: 11 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $28M | |
| 2001-12-24 | Heavy SnowErie County · forecast zone Erie One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places, 2001-12-24 to 2001-12-26; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $22M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in New York?
New York's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | New York | United States | New York's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 1,722 | 32,893 | 5.2% |
| 2000s | 4,627 | 88,805 | 5.2% |
| 2010s | 4,073 | 103,626 | 3.9% |
| 2020-26 | 3,034 | 62,015 | 4.9% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in New York
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-17 | Lake-Effect SnowOswego County · forecast zone Oswego | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-17 | Lake-Effect SnowOneida County · forecast zone Northern Oneida | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Winter StormLewis County · forecast zone Lewis | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Winter StormJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Winter WeatherOneida County · forecast zone Northern Oneida | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Winter WeatherFulton County · forecast zone Northern Fulton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Winter WeatherHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Winter WeatherHerkimer County · forecast zone Southern Herkimer | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Winter StormHerkimer County · forecast zone Northern Herkimer | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-23 | Winter WeatherFulton County · forecast zone Southern Fulton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-23 | BlizzardWestchester County · forecast zone Southern Westchester | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-23 | BlizzardBronx County · forecast zone Bronx | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in New York
FEMA has declared 29 disasters in New York for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 15 were major disasters, the latest on March 15, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-15 | DR-4694 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 5 |
| 2022-12-26 | EM-3590 | Severe Winter Storm | 2 |
| 2022-11-20 | EM-3589 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 11 |
| 2017-07-12 | DR-4322 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 28 |
| 2014-12-22 | DR-4204 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | 9 |
| 2013-04-23 | DR-4111 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 1 |
| 2011-02-18 | DR-1957 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 10 |
| 2009-03-04 | DR-1827 | Severe Winter Storm | 9 |
| 2008-12-18 | EM-3299 | Severe Winter Storm | 16 |
| 2007-02-23 | EM-3273 | Record Snow and Near Record Snow | 3 |
| 2006-10-15 | EM-3268 | Lake Effect Snowstorm | 4 |
| 2004-03-03 | EM-3195 | Snow | 4 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Schenectady County: the county's whole recordThe New York county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in New YorkTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in New York19,988 records
- Floods in New York6,836 records
- Hail in New York5,067 records