Snow Plowing in Buffalo, NY

Buffalo, The Queen City, is the second largest city in New York State with over 250,000 residents and is part of the greater Buffalo Niagara Region that includes Western New York and an international border with Southern Ontario, Canada.

Incorporated as a city in 1832, there are now 32 distinct neighborhoods in Buffalo (as defined by the University at Buffalo) with a diverse set of people and architecture. No two neighborhoods are alike and every part of the city has unique residential and commercial snowplowing and deicing needs with a mix of ornate Victorian homes, grand mansions, humble cottages with tight driveways, sprawling industrial parks, and shopping center parking lots within this urban environment.

Buffalo has unique beauty and challenges because it borders Lake Erie, the Niagara River, the Buffalo River, and smaller creeks and streams. Out of over 52 square miles, over 20% of that total area is water, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Notorious Lake effect snow happens in Buffalo when a cold air mass moves over an unfrozen Lake Erie with warmer lake water. Water vapor is picked up from the lake, moved through the cold air above, and then freezes creating snowfall throughout the region with stunning results. Lake effect snowstorms continue throughout the winter until Lake Erie, the shallowest of the five Great Lakes, freezes over.

Any city resident can tell you where they were and what they were doing during famous snowstorms, like the Blizzard of ‘77 or the October Surprise Storm.

Despite it’s reputation, Buffalo is usually not the snowiest city in New York state. That distinction has most often gone to Syracuse, NY, Buffalo’s Eastern neighbor down Interstate 90. However, according to the National Weather Service, Buffalo averages 94.7 inches of snow per winter season.

in the past 10 years, Buffalo has ranged from a low of 36.7 inches (the lowest on record) up to 129.9 inches of snow in one winter. The highest recorded snowfall in Buffalo is 199.4 inches due to the Blizzard of ‘77, which was interestingly enough not caused by lake effect snow but instead by high winds that caused massive snow drifts.