Famous Lake-Effect Snow Events and Snowfall Records
Lake-effect snow forms when cold air moves across relatively warmer lake water, picking up moisture that falls as intense, highly localized snow bands downwind. These are some of the most extreme and well-documented events, though not all of them have a confirmed school-closure record attached, noted below where that's the case.
Buffalo, New York, November 2014
A lake-effect storm off Lake Erie buried areas just east of Buffalo under more than five feet of snow over November 17 to 19, killing 13 people, according to NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory . The storm's snow bands were narrow enough that some nearby areas saw only a fraction of that total. This entry documents snowfall totals and fatalities; a specific school-closure count for this event was not confirmed for this page.
Redfield, New York, February 2007
Downwind of Lake Ontario, on the Tug Hill Plateau, Redfield measured 141 inches of snow over a ten-day stretch from February 3 to 12, according to confirmed National Weather Service totals reported by weather.com . States of emergency were declared and many schools in the region were closed for days, according to Spectrum News . The Tug Hill Plateau regularly receives some of the highest snowfall totals in the eastern United States.
Muskegon County, Michigan, seasonal average
On the Lake Michigan snowbelt, Muskegon County averages about 91.94 inches of snow a year, compared with about 74.40 inches in nearby Grand Rapids, according to the Muskegon County Community Profile , citing the Michigan State Climatologist's Office. This is a seasonal average, not a single storm event, and carries no specific closure record; it illustrates how much lake-effect exposure changes seasonal totals even between two Michigan cities roughly 40 miles apart.
Georgian Bay and the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, November 2025
Communities along Georgian Bay, including Barrie, Innisfil, Elmvale, Midland, Penetanguishene, and Orillia, saw widespread school bus cancellations as an Environment Canada snow squall warning brought accumulations of 30 to 60 centimetres, according to CP24 . Bus service was also cancelled in Owen Sound and other parts of Grey County the same week, according to CTV News , while towns only a short drive away saw far less snowfall.
Documented Lake-Effect Events
| Event | Location | Result | School disruption documented? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2014 | East of Buffalo, NY (Lake Erie) | Over 5 feet of snow in one event; 13 deaths | Not confirmed for this page | NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory |
| February 2007 | Redfield, NY (Tug Hill Plateau, Lake Ontario) | 141 inches over 10 days | Yes, states of emergency and multi-day school closures | National Weather Service via weather.com; Spectrum News |
| Seasonal average | Muskegon County, MI (Lake Michigan) | ~91.94 in/year vs. ~74.40 in Grand Rapids | N/A, seasonal average not a single event | Muskegon County Community Profile |
| November 2025 | Georgian Bay/Bruce Peninsula, Ontario | 30 to 60 cm | Yes, widespread school bus cancellations | CP24; CTV News |
Why does lake-effect snow vary so much between nearby towns?
Lake-effect snow falls in narrow bands driven by wind direction off the lake. A town directly in the band's path can get feet of snow while a town twenty minutes away sees very little.
Why is the Tug Hill Plateau known for extreme snowfall?
The Tug Hill Plateau, downwind of Lake Ontario, is among the snowiest regions in the eastern US and recorded 141 inches in just ten days in February 2007, an event serious enough to trigger states of emergency and multi-day school closures.
Does Southern Ontario get lake-effect snow too?
Yes. Communities along Georgian Bay and the Bruce Peninsula, including Barrie and Owen Sound, see frequent, highly localized squalls off Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, including a documented bus-cancellation event in November 2025.
●NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, “Lake effect snow: What, why and how?”
●Weather.com, “All-Time Lake-Effect Snowfall Records,” citing National Weather Service confirmed totals
●Spectrum News (Central NY), retrospective on the February 2007 Tug Hill event
●Muskegon County Community Profile, citing the Michigan State Climatologist's Office
●CP24, “Snow squalls force widespread school bus cancellations in Simcoe County,” November 2025 ●CTV News, “Whiteout conditions force school bus cancellations in Grey County,” November 2025.
Related reading: See how much snow it actually takes to close schools region by region, and browse our state and province closure guides for named district policies. Back to the SnowDay Score predictor.
Related reading
Want to see how lake-effect risk plays out for a specific district? Check the Marquette & the Upper Peninsula, MI predictor or the Duluth, MN predictor, both in heavy snowbelt zones. For how wind chill can factor in separately from snowfall, see how wind chill alone can close schools. For the full breakdown of how our estimates are built, see our methodology page, or head back to the SnowDay Score predictor to check your own city.