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Back to homeCNY Storm Tracker: Live Radar, NWS Warnings, and Severe Weather Coverage
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CNY Storm Tracker: Live Radar, NWS Warnings, and Severe Weather Coverage
Central New York experiences four distinct severe weather seasons: winter lake-effect snow (November through February), spring severe convective storms (April through June), summer flash flooding (June through August), and autumn frontal and remnant tropical systems (September through October). The National Weather Service Buffalo office (KBUF) is the official forecast and warning office for the Syracuse metro. CNY Signal aggregates NWS Buffalo watches, warnings, and statements with sub-60-second SMS push to subscribers, and embeds NEXRAD radar from KTYX (Fort Drum) and KBUF (Buffalo) plus surface observations from KSYR airport and 17 New York Mesonet stations within 50 miles.
NWS Buffalo: weather.gov/buf. CNY Signal weather: cnysignal.com/weather. Live NEXRAD: radar.weather.gov KTYX.
The Four CNY Severe Weather Seasons
Central New York’s geography produces four distinct severe weather modes, each with
different threats, forecast skill, and impact patterns. Winter lake-effect dominates
November through February with the snow and wind threats described in detail at
cnysignal.com/lake-effect-snow-syracuse.
Spring severe convective storms peak May through June, when the boundary layer warms enough
to support thunderstorms and cold air aloft from departing winter systems creates the
instability that drives severe weather. Summer flash flooding peaks June through August
when warm moist air masses produce slow-moving thunderstorms with heavy rainfall rates.
Autumn frontal storms in September through October typically include large-scale wind events
and remnant tropical systems crossing into the Northeast.
NWS Buffalo Service Area
The National Weather Service Buffalo office (KBUF), located in Buffalo, is responsible
for forecasting and issuing warnings for the western and central New York region including
all of Onondaga County. KBUF’s responsibility extends from the Lake Ontario shoreline south
to the Pennsylvania border and east to Madison County, covering approximately 8,500 square
miles. The office issues four area forecast discussions per day at 4 AM, 11 AM, 4 PM, and
11 PM Eastern Time. KBUF also operates the WSR-88D radar at the Buffalo airport (KBUF) and
shares operational responsibility for the WSR-88D at Fort Drum (KTYX) with the Albany
office (ALY).
NWS Watch, Warning, and Advisory Definitions
NWS uses a tiered alert system: Watch (conditions favorable for severe weather, lead
time 12 to 48 hours, take preparation actions); Warning (severe weather is occurring or
imminent, lead time 0 to 60 minutes, take immediate protective action); Advisory (less
serious conditions causing inconvenience, lead time variable). Specific products for CNY:
Tornado Watch (tornadoes possible, monitor); Tornado Warning (tornado in progress or
imminent, take shelter); Severe Thunderstorm Watch (severe thunderstorm potential); Severe
Thunderstorm Warning (severe thunderstorm in progress); Flash Flood Watch (flooding
possible); Flash Flood Warning (flooding in progress); Winter Storm Watch (significant snow
or ice possible); Winter Storm Warning (significant snow or ice expected); Lake Effect Snow
Advisory (4 to 7 inches expected); Lake Effect Snow Warning (more than 7 inches expected);
Blizzard Warning (sustained 35+ mph winds plus snow plus low visibility for 3+ hours).
NEXRAD Radar Coverage
Onondaga County is covered by two operational WSR-88D radars: KTYX (Fort Drum, 64 miles
north of Syracuse) and KBUF (Buffalo, 130 miles west). The KTYX radar provides better
low-level scanning for lake-effect snow bands and CNY thunderstorms because of its
proximity. KBUF provides additional perspective and serves as the backup. Both radars
operate in dual-polarization mode, providing differential reflectivity (ZDR), correlation
coefficient, and specific differential phase (KDP) products that help distinguish hail,
heavy rain, and snow from clutter and biological returns.
The 2014 Snowvember Event
The November 17 to 22, 2014 lake-effect snow event delivered 86 inches across the
Syracuse metro in 72 hours, killed 14 in the Buffalo southtowns, and triggered the longest
National Guard activation for a snow event in New York state history. Per the NWS Buffalo
post-event service assessment, the snow band was 5 to 7 miles wide and persisted for 36
hours over the same Buffalo southtowns location due to a near-stationary upper-level
pattern. Syracuse recorded 53 inches at KSYR over the event window. The state of emergency
in Onondaga County lasted 4 days.
The 2022 December Ice Storm
The December 12 to 14, 2022 freezing rain event coated the Onondaga County electric
distribution system with up to 0.6 inches of ice, leaving 31,000 National Grid customers
without power for up to 5 days. The event was forecast 36 hours in advance by NWS Buffalo
with a Winter Storm Warning, but the freezing rain accumulation exceeded forecast by 0.2
inches due to a deeper warm layer aloft than initially modeled. Onondaga County declared
a state of emergency for 3 days. The total damage cost from the event was estimated at
$28 million across the Syracuse metro per the NYS Insurance Department report.
The 1998 Labor Day Storm
The September 7, 1998 Labor Day storm produced 90 mph straight-line winds across the
Syracuse metro, killed two people, and caused $130 million in damage (1998 dollars). The
storm was a derecho that originated over the Great Lakes and crossed into New York with
sustained 60 mph winds and gusts to 90+ mph. The event triggered a five-day power outage
for 200,000 customers in the Syracuse metro and was the most damaging single weather event
in CNY history before the 2014 Snowvember. The NWS Buffalo post-event assessment cited
inadequate lead-time warnings as a contributing factor to the human toll; subsequent
upgrades to the warning system have reduced typical lead times for derecho events.
How CNY Signal Reports Severe Weather
The CNY Signal pipeline subscribes to the NWS Buffalo IDP (Integrated Dissemination
Platform) feed and republishes warnings within a 30 second cache TTL. Severe weather alerts
trigger SMS push to subscribers within 60 seconds of NWS issuance. The publication’s weather
page embeds: real-time NEXRAD radar from KTYX and KBUF, surface observation maps from KSYR
plus the New York Mesonet, lake-effect band tracking via the NWS Buffalo lake-effect
graphics, and a current-conditions widget for the Syracuse metro. The publication does NOT
issue independent forecasts; all forecast content is sourced from NWS Buffalo.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does CNY Signal track severe weather?
CNY Signal subscribes to the NWS Buffalo IDP (Integrated Dissemination Platform) feed and republishes watches, warnings, and statements within a 30 second cache TTL. Severe weather alerts trigger SMS push to subscribers within 60 seconds of NWS issuance. The publication does not issue independent forecasts.
What is the difference between a watch and a warning?
A Watch means conditions are favorable for severe weather (lead time 12-48 hours, take preparation actions). A Warning means severe weather is occurring or imminent (lead time 0-60 minutes, take immediate protective action). An Advisory means less serious conditions causing inconvenience.
Where is the radar that covers Syracuse?
Two NEXRAD WSR-88D radars cover Onondaga County: KTYX at Fort Drum (64 miles north) and KBUF at Buffalo (130 miles west). KTYX provides the primary low-level scanning. Both radars operate in dual-polarization mode.
When was the worst CNY winter storm?
The November 17-22, 2014 Snowvember lake-effect event delivered 86 inches across the Syracuse metro in 72 hours and killed 14 in the Buffalo southtowns. Syracuse recorded 53 inches at KSYR. It was the longest National Guard snow activation in New York history.
Are storm warnings always accurate?
NWS Buffalo lead times for tornado warnings average 12-15 minutes; for severe thunderstorm warnings 18-22 minutes; for winter storm warnings 36+ hours. False alarm rates are roughly 75 percent for tornado warnings and 30 percent for severe thunderstorm warnings, per NWS verification statistics. Always take warnings seriously despite false alarms; the cost of action is small, the cost of inaction can be lethal.