Welcome to the tundra

February 6, 2014

Students are walking to class in the wet snow and frigid temperatures. (David Armelino | The Oswegonian) — Student walking to class through wet snow and frigid temperatures. (David Armelino | The Oswegonian)

Oswego State has quickly lived up to its title this semester, hosting two snowstorms in the first two weeks of class after being named the No. 2 snowiest school in the country by Accuweather.com.

On Wednesday, the Oswego State campus was met with yet another major snowstorm that brought whiteout conditions and the classic Oswego wind.

Oswego picked up about 7.5 inches total, according to the National Weather Service, causing some classes around campus to be canceled.

Officially, the 24-hour snowfall winner for the county was Fulton, which picked up around 11 inches from 7 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday.

The snow was associated with a winter storm that came sweeping across parts of the central United States during the day Tuesday.

The Southern Tier took the brunt of the storm, as Binghamton reported 13 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm caused Gov. Andrew Cuomo to declare a state of emergency Wednesday morning. Cuomo said the lack of salt Downstate was the main concern.

Oswego City Police reported an increase in accidents Wednesday, but no major delays.

Unlike the storm on Monday, Jan. 27, when Oswego received 12 inches and the school was forced to cancel all night classes, no official cancellations were made by the university.

While many still have the words ‘polar vortex’ on their minds from the massive influx of arctic air that took place in January, WTOP-10 Chief Meteorologist Molly Matott said it is not explicitly responsible for the weather of late.

“Oswego’s had easy winters the past few years; this year’s season is actually more on-track.” Matott said. “We seem to be in an air pattern that is favorable for storms to move toward us.”

The storm is now out of the Northeast, leaving lake effect clouds and some light snow showers in its wake across the Great Lakes region.

For the Oswego area, scattered lake effect snow is expected, as a Lake Effect Snow Advisory is in effect until early Saturday morning. The weekend is shaping up to be a nice one, however, with the possibility of seeing at least a little sunshine and temperatures remaining in the teens to around 20 degrees.

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