Snow in New York

I took my annual pilgrimage to New Hampshire for Christmas again this year (driving my newly purchased car a significant distance for the first time). I try to plan my route and timing to avoid the worst weather (I hate driving in snow), and usually have decent luck (but Ohio likes to snow on me when you'd least expect it.)

I stopped halfway in Erie,PA, checked the weather the next morning before setting out and learned that there would be about an inch of lake effect snow near Buffalo in the course of the day. (If you don't know, Buffalo is about halfway through New York on the New York Thruway - the fastest way to get from the Midwest to New England). Although and inch wasn't too bad on the interstate, I decided to play it safe and take the southern route (I-86 - as far away from the lake and the "lake effect snow" as possible).

The snow started out light and I figured I'd be through the worst of it soon as I traveled east. Wrong! It turned to white-out conditions with the highway completely covered - not even a track to follow. I gave up in two hours after having made it 48 miles to Jamestown, NY.

I tucked myself into a hotel to wait it out and 10 hours and 11 inches of snow later - it stopped. I now longer trust the weather-guessers!