Earliest First Snow of Season Has Fallen in CNY

Is it too soon to start talking snow? Parts of New York may see a few flakes this week. But we've seen winter weather arrive much sooner than this in years past.

How early has the snow started to fall in Central and Upstate New York? Winter doesn't officially begin until December 21 but sometimes we get snow soon enough to make a Halloween costume big enough to fit over winter coats. Lowville received 4 inches as early as October 1 back in 1944.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration created an interactive map to see when the first flakes of the season fell all across the country.

Earliest New York Snow

October 1, 1944: 4 inches of snow in Lowville
October 1, 1946: .6 inches of snow at Syracuse Hancock Airport
November 1, 1951: 1 inch of snow in Delta
October 14, 1958: 1.5 inches of snow in Forestport
September 27, 1980: .3 inches of snow in Old Forge
October 11, 1987: 4 inches of snow at Oneida County Airport
Octber 22, 1988: 1.1 inches of snow in Frankfort

Hardy Central New Yorkers don't mind a little snow early or even late in the season.

Photo Credit - Patty Kimball

Winter at Whiteface Summit

Whiteface has already seen snow. The first flakes of the season arrived in Upstate New York in September. Winter-like conditions hit the summit on September 23, which is not unusual for this time of year.

"This is just about average for the first snowfall," the Whiteface Mountain Field Station shared on Facebook.

Credit - ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station via Facebook

Shave, Shiver & Shovel This Winter

We may get an early dose of the winter season in other parts of New York this year. The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting plenty of snow, rain, and mush, as well as some record-breaking cold temperatures in their extended forecast.

However, AccuWeather is predicting a normal to below normal winter as far as snow goes. Buffalo may even see fewer Lake Effect snowstorms. New England is the only area in the Northeast that could see more snowfall than normal.

Whatever winter holds, we can handle anything Mother Nature has in store this season. If we can survive Stella, we can survive anything. We'll just stock up on sweaters, gas up the snowmobiles, and wax up the skis. Bring on the snow.