339 - Snowvember 2.0: Mapping Lake-effect snowfall in the Buffalo, New York area during the November 2022 extreme snowfall event

The City of Buffalo, New York is located in western New York State near two Great Lakes: Lake Ontario to the north, and Lake Erie to the west. The Great Lakes region that includes Buffalo experiences a weather phenomenon known as lake-effect snow, where surface buoyant instability and upward moisture movement from the Great Lakes can cause extreme snowfall in localized bands. The purpose of this project is to analyze the total amount of snowfall that occurred on a specific lake-effect snowfall even in November 2022, termed "Snowvember 2.0" (or November 2022 Great Lakes Winter Storm.) Snowfall data was obtained from the National Centers for Environmental Information and from the National Weather Service's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. The data was used along with remote sensing techniques to map the snowfall event. Snowfall amounts in inches were obtained from each day of the storm (Approximately November 17-20, 2022.) The highest snowfall amount seen over the weekend was approximately 81" in the Hamburg area, and the majority of the snowfall occurred during the Friday (November 18) and Saturday (November 18) of the weekend just south of the City of Buffalo. Rates of snowfall were high; for example, Buffalo received 3.1" in just a 1-hr period. Understanding this mesoscale phenomenon such as the one experienced in November 2022 is crucial for planning response and recovery for future devastating winter storms.