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Please tell me that this is unusual for snow this early in Upstate NY?
I wanted to drive up and see Rochester and the peak of the Fall foliage and what's up with the snow?
I am about 80% sold on Rochester as far as relocating, the only thing I'm wondering about is the weather. I don't mind driving in it, I just don't feel like shoveling my driveway and steps all the time.
Well, amazingly enough, Rochester didn't get any snow from thsi system. Buffalo is only 60 miles away and got hammered with 2 feet, meanwhile it was sunny and in the 50's in Rochester today. Rochester doesn't get nearly the lake effect that Buffalo does. Rochester is on lake Ontario, but it's on the southern shore of it; whereas Buffalo's Western edge is all Lake Erie shorline, in a direct-hit zone. If the wind blows from the west towards Buffalo, and the lake is warmer than the cold air, they get lake effect snow. You can definitely see the fall foliage in Rochester, and in fact it's probably at it's peak right now. No snow on the ground there. But if you go just a little west (wel, you can't because I-90 west of Rochester is closed), you'll find yourself knee deep in the stuff. Lake Effect snow..... it's sneaky stuff.
After a rainy summer, fall hasn't been much better. Definitely, not a normal Fall in Upstate NY. Normal highs are in the low 60s today, but we've been only getting low 50s as of late. September seemed more like October and October is turning out to be more like November. Where is global warming?
NYTom, snow in WNY in not common, but not unheard of in Oct/Nov and Mar/Apr. The last big Rochester ice storm happened in early April. Yes, April! Google "ice storm rochester 2003."
This is the one drawback for the area. It can be gray, cold, and snowy for quite a while. Just find 1 or 2 ways to enjoy the change and you'll be fine. I still would like to return to the area despite this. Maybe I'll change my name to "Snowy" then.
I lived in Buffalo for 23 years and I never experienced a snow storm like this in Oct. I did go trick or treating a few times with snow flurries but that wasn't too bad. It was a freak storm so early imo.
My best friend lives in Rochester and they as someone else said dont get the lake effect like Buffalo does.
It makes no difference when the first snow is really. One year we had snow in late Sept but then nothing for three months. Another I remember we had no snow till Dec, but then we got absolutely hammered for the rest of the winter through March.
Rochester is snowy Tom. Don't hide from the snow like so many others. People I know from Syracuse all say the same thing - to get outdoors and do stuff in winter so you don't get depressed.
My parents tell me that in Central NY, there was snow as early as before Halloween some years, but I can't remember it. It's a shame for all the leaf-peekers who come in droves to see the foliage. Fall is supposed to be the best time of year for Upstate.
It is peak fall foliage season, the rest of Upstate is still deep with the fall colors, this was only a Buffalo thing. I would say this week would be the best time to see the foliage, but in another 2 weeks, the trees will be going bare fast.
I think what it is is for whatever reason when Buffalo gets hit its more likely to cause problems. HEnse the national news coverage every year.. but Buffalo actually does get as much snow as Rochester and Syracuse.
As far as I know, technically speaking.. Buffalo is #3 in NYS for snow
Rochester is typically #2 (Syracuse typically being the snowiest)
I dunno about Rocester specifically, but for Oswego -> Syracuse lake effect snows coming off Lake Ontario is WORSE becuase it can go on longer, sometimes even all winter. (main cause Lake Erie tends to freeze sooner since its more shallow)
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