It really doesn't snow a lot in Buffalo.
2If you are from Buffalo or going to Buffalo, you probably would be tired of people who have never been to Buffalo saying, "it snows a lot up there!"
However, unlike the general belief, Buffalo is really far from the snowiest city in the U.S. Actually, Buffalo doesn't even rank up top ten.
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So we're being buffaloed about Buffalo?
I've been to Buffalo and witnessed the mountains of snow and the monster-sized snow removal equipment. You get your fair share of the white stuff, no?
Well, weather.com dosent agree...
http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/20-snowiest-large-cities-america-20140130#/17
Shenenigans...according to the Weather Channel, it ranks 4th in the US, with 96.1 inches of white stuff per year on average.
http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/20-snowiest-large-cities-america-20140130#/17
And it's third on this list: http://goldensnowglobe.com/current-top-10-snowiest-cities/
Second here: http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/snowiest-cities.php
And this puts it 9th in the world. http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/top-10-snowiest-major-cities-a/23760437
@Mavyn http://weatherbug.excite.com/StormCentral/Excite/StormCentral.aspx?no_cookie_zip=90012&no_cookie_stat=LNFR3&no_cookie_world_stat=&zcode=z4639&story_id=6117&lid=SCSPS
@JasonKim Seriously, one reference that contradicts three others is all you can throw at this?
When I lived in Rochester, it almost always had more snow than Buffalo, but the news was always about Buffalo. (No one ever sang about shuffling off to Rochester, either...)
@olperfesser Plus, snacking on "Rochester wings" isn't quite as catchy.
I suspect that, like many areas, "Buffalo" is the generic term for both the actual city and many of the surrounding, smaller suburban areas. So while Buffalo may not get the most snow, the entire area that many would consider as "Buffalo" does
@Bingo This is correct. Plus there are some suburbs which receive a lot more snow on an annual basis than others due to their locations. Towns to the south of Buffalo and just inland of Lake Erie usually receive the brunt of the snow. There are specific towns which are referred to as being in "the snow belt".
Two things. First, @olperfesser, what exactly are you on right now? Rochester loses the Snowball constantly. Buffalo and Syracuse always win.
Then, I'm pretty sure @JasonKim meant compared to places like Montana. Not compared to places like Buffalo's own suburbs.
what is "snow"?
I know the 4 years I spent driving from Rochester, NY (college) to Cleveland, OH (home - east side in the snow belt) - a route that takes you though Buffalo - the NY thruway was basically close due to snow every thanksgiving, christmas break… My sisters, who drove back my roommate and me over spring break even got snowed in due to snowfall from Erie, PA through Buffalo and Rochester. My parents didn't believe this happened because there was so little snow in Cleveland, snow belt location not withstanding. Perhaps your definition of A LOT of snow has been warped by living in a town where snow from October through April and measured in feet, not inches, is considered normal.
Ok folks, I live in Buffalo, I've lived in Cleveland, Chicago, Denver, etc. I'd say I'm a good judge of snow fall. Buffalo, the city, gets only a very modest amount of snow. This is due to its location north of the lake shore. South of buffalo, in the suburban towns like Orchard Park, the story is very different, with snowfall of more than a foot in one hour being common due to lake effect snow. For those who didn't grow up near the great lakes, lake effect is where the moist air over the lake slams into the relatively cooler land mass and gets pushed up high, condensing into clouds and snow. Lots of snow. But to have lake effect, you must have a large body of water, and winds blowing your direction...