A snow deluge in January has Buffalo in a familiar spot in national snowfall rankings in the continental United States: at the top.
But it is a pittance compared to some of our more notorious winters. It is also part of a trend: Across the country, some of the snowiest cities are experiencing what most residents would likely consider a mild winter, which experts are attributing to the El Nino weather pattern.
According to snowfall data collected for the Golden Snow Globe award – an unofficial contest that tracks the snowiest big cities in the United States – more than half the 50 cities listed have so far received below-average amounts of snow this winter.
In a season when winter has shown us its full fury, it’s no surprise Buffalo is far ahead in the statewide and national rankings for snowfall.
While Buffalo is part of that trend, back-to-back lake effect snow storms last month helped keep the city’s snowfall total much closer to a normal winter. Especially when compared to cities such as Syracuse and Rochester, our fierce competitors for the Golden Snowball award, a contest that tracks the snowiest cities in New York only.
As of Feb. 4, Buffalo saw 53.6 inches of snow, second to only Anchorage, Alaska with 106 inches.
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