Where does January, 2025 lake effect snow blitz stand with storms of the past? NWS Meteorologist explains

ONEIDA COUNTY- If you live Oneida County, let's just say between Camden and as far east past Remsen and down to the Mohawk Valley, you likely had a hard time keeping up with digging out from last weekend's lake effect snow blitz.

"What made this one pretty unique is that it's pretty rare to get what's called a 'multi-lake' connection and have it last for such a long period of time," said NWS Meteorologist Adam Gill. He says it's been a while since Oneida County witnessed a snowstorm like the one that began late Thursday, January 2, 2025.

"So basically, a big low pressure system got stuck up near Hudson Bay. So with that counter clockwise flow around it, you had wind basically going the entire lengths of Lake Superior and the entire length of Lake Huron before going across the entire length of Lake Ontario. So there was hundreds of miles of open waters that was able to moisten the atmosphere and create a really intense, long-lived lake effect band."

Be sure to listen to our latest on-air coverage with Meteorologist Gill for more details:

The last time Oneida County saw a snowstorm comparable to this, according to National Weather Service records, was February of 2007. Folks may remember that monstrous snow blitz, where there were several reports of over 100-inches of snow accumulation in Northwestern Oneida County. 

Other comparable storms within the past 30-years for Oneida County date back to 1995 and 2004, Meteorologist Gill said.

Official readings from the National Weather Service and their Public Information Statement have been updated in the wake of this storm, with a public measurement of 75-inches near Stokes Corner, which takes the cake from Taberg, as they recorded 67-inches via the NWS. 

In addition to the original snowfall totals reported to us and published previously, we have additional confirmation that Woods Valley Ski Area recorded 76-inches of snow.

Sheriff Rob Maciol says he can safely determine that his location measured north of 60-inches of snow. A neighboring friend of the Sheriff, Ben Simons, reported the same. 

Various other reports reflected similarly in the Trenton and Remsen areas.

Image via Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol.