REDFIELD, N.Y. – This village in upstate New York’s snowbelt gets a lot of snowfall during the winter, but last week’s total – more than 11 feet, unofficially – might be an all-time record.
Before it began to wind down Sunday, persistent streams of squalls fueled by moisture from Lake Ontario during the last week consistently dumped lake-effect snow in this western New York region.
All that’s left – apart from the massive dig out – is to claim the record for the most snowfall in a week.
Redfield’s total of 136 inches would break the state record of ten feet, seven inches that fell in nearby Montague over seven days ending Jan. 1, 2002, said Steve McLaughlin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Buffalo. A weather service official will go to Redfield today to verify the amount.
McLaughlin said the proper way to measure snow requires taking readings about every six hours. It’s very important with lake-effect snow.
“It can be light and fluffy. If you did hourly measurements, you might come up with 24 inches, when there’s really only 16 on the ground. It needs to be able to pack some,” he said.
The weeklong snows left behind surreal scenes.
One house appeared to be in a cocoon. The only signs of parked SUVs were their radio antennas or roof racks rising above the snow. Dug out sidewalks looked like miniature canyons.
Roads were mostly cleared Sunday as workers turned their attention to removing the snow and trimming down 10- and 12-foot-high snowbanks.
Elsewhere, more than a week of bitter cold and slippery roads have contributed to at least 25 deaths across the northeastern quarter of the nation – five in Ohio, four in Illinois, four in Indiana, two in Kentucky, seven in Michigan, and one each in Wisconsin, Maryland and elsewhere in New York, authorities said.
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