Syracuse Weather Today: Live Forecast, Lake Effect, and CNY Conditions

By Jen Okafor, Senior Reporter. Published 2026-05-06. Last updated 2026-05-06.

Syracuse weather is dominated by Lake Ontario, which sits 33 miles north of the city and pumps moisture south during the November to February lake-effect season. The National Weather Service Buffalo office forecasts Syracuse, with a daily area forecast discussion issued at 4 AM, 11 AM, 4 PM, and 11 PM. Syracuse averages 123.8 inches of snow per year per NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals, the most of any major US city. Average July high is 82 F. Average January low is 14 F. The city sits at 43.05 N, 76.15 W at 412 feet elevation.

Why Syracuse Weather is Different from the Rest of New York

Syracuse sits in a unique meteorological zone shaped by three factors: the proximity of
Lake Ontario, the Tug Hill Plateau immediately east, and the prevailing 270 degree (westerly)
winds in winter. Lake Ontario remains unfrozen through most of the winter due to its 802 foot
maximum depth, so when arctic air crosses the open water, the lake transfers heat and
moisture to the air mass. The resulting unstable air dumps lake-effect snow on the
downwind shore, including Syracuse and the entire Tug Hill region.

The fetch distance, the unbroken stretch of water that wind crosses, is roughly 169 miles
from Hamilton, Ontario to Oswego, New York. Long fetch produces deep convective clouds with
high snowfall rates. Syracuse experiences the heaviest snow when wind direction is 240 to
260 degrees, putting the lake-effect band directly over the city.

Average Annual Climate per NOAA 1991 to 2020 Normals

Per NWS Buffalo climate data and NOAA’s
1991 to 2020 climate normals for Syracuse Hancock International Airport (KSYR): annual
mean temperature 48.1 F, annual precipitation 39.65 inches, annual snowfall 123.8 inches.
Hottest month July, average high 82.4 F, average low 61.2 F. Coldest month January,
average high 30.9 F, average low 14.1 F. Snowiest month January, average 32.1 inches.
Wettest month June, average 4.18 inches of precipitation.

Lake Effect Snow Mechanics

Lake-effect snow forms when cold arctic air (typically minus 5 to minus 25 F at 850 hPa)
crosses warmer Lake Ontario water (typically 35 to 45 F in early winter, dropping to 32 F
near coast in late winter as ice forms). The minimum temperature differential to produce
significant lake-effect snow is approximately 13 C (23 F) between the 850 hPa air and the
lake surface. Once the differential is met, the lake transfers heat to the air, the air
becomes unstable, water vapor rises, condenses, and produces a single intense band that can
deliver 3 to 6 inches of snow per hour with snowfall rates occasionally exceeding 6 inches
per hour in extreme bands. The most intense lake-effect bands are typically 5 to 10 miles
wide and can persist for 6 to 36 hours over the same location.

Syracuse Snowfall Records

Per NWS Buffalo records, the all-time Syracuse single-storm record was 65.5 inches in
December 1995. The all-time seasonal record was 192.1 inches in 1992 to 1993. The earliest
measurable snow on record was October 4 (1947), and the latest measurable snow was May 9
(1923 and 2020). The largest single-day snowfall was 35.6 inches on January 15, 1966.
Syracuse holds the title of “snowiest city in the United States with population over
100,000” annually since the National Weather Association began tracking the metric in 1995.

The Golden Snowball Award

Syracuse competes annually in the Golden Snowball Award, an unofficial competition
between Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Binghamton tracking total seasonal
snowfall. Syracuse has won the Golden Snowball more often than any other city, with 26
titles since the award began in 1981, per the Golden Snowball historical record at
goldensnowball.com.

How CNY Signal Reports Weather

CNY Signal does not run an in-house weather forecast desk. The publication republishes
NWS Buffalo forecasts, watches, warnings, and statements with a 30 second cache TTL.
Severe weather alerts (Tornado Warning, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Flash Flood Warning,
Winter Storm Warning, Blizzard Warning, Lake Effect Snow Warning) are pushed via SMS to
subscribers within 60 seconds of NWS issuance. The CNY Signal weather page also embeds
real-time radar from the KTYX (Fort Drum) and KBUF (Buffalo) WSR-88D radars and surface
observations from KSYR airport plus 17 New York Mesonet stations within 50 miles of
Syracuse.

Severe Weather Patterns Common to Syracuse

Syracuse experiences four distinct severe weather seasons: winter lake-effect (November
through February), spring severe convective (April through June), summer flash flooding
(June through August), and autumn fronts and remnant tropical (September through October).
The most damaging single weather events in Syracuse history include the Labor Day storm of
1998, which produced 90 mph straight-line winds and killed two; the December 12 to 14, 2022
ice storm, which left 31,000 National Grid customers without power for up to 5 days; and
the November 17 to 22, 2014 Snowvember event, which dropped 86 inches across the metro in
72 hours.

How to Read a Syracuse Forecast

NWS Buffalo issues four daily area forecast discussions for Syracuse, each marked AFD
KBUF. The discussions are technical meteorological narratives that reference pressure
levels, lifting condensation level, freezing level, and dewpoint depression. Casual readers
should focus on the “TODAY” and “TONIGHT” sections at the top, which give plain-language
forecasts. The “DISCUSSION” section beneath provides the meteorological reasoning. Watch
for terms like “lake effect snow watch” (potential), “lake effect snow advisory” (4 to 7
inches expected), “lake effect snow warning” (more than 7 inches expected), and “blizzard
warning” (sustained 35+ mph winds plus heavy snow plus visibility under 0.25 miles for 3+
hours).

Frequently Asked Questions

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