Mention the name Buffalo, New York and immediately visions are conjured up of mountains of snow with freezing temperatures. While occasionally this is true, some people are fond of saying that we have winter and the fourth of July. The weather is Buffalo covers the climatological gambit.

Buffalo and the surrounding western New York area enjoy four distinct seasons of summer, autumn, winter, and spring.

Spring comes to western New York not like the date on the calendar but a few weeks later. At times it seems as though the world went from white to green overnight. The citizens cast off their heavy winter gear for a lighter spring coat and while snow gear is not quite put completely away, they are put out of the way but kept close at hand since the arrival of spring does not mean the end of snow.

According to the calendar summer arrives on June 21 and so it does in Buffalo as well, although not quite as warm as in the southern climates. Summer temperatures in western New York normally run into the eighties but can reach the low to mid=nineties.

In September, autumn arrives with a splendor of colour. In late September to early October, the leaves begin to go from green to the vivid hues of reds, yellows, oranges, and brown before preparing for the onset of winter in the coming weeks. While still officially autumn, the cooler temperatures of late fall and winter begin in late October. Halloween festivities can bring bright sunny skies, crisp cool days, or even a blanket of snow.

By the time the Thanksgiving holiday rolls around, the days become cold and the coats begin to make a return appearance with the knowledge that winter is just around the corner. By this time, the snow has fallen at least once and the temperatures have dipped below the freezing mark at least once as well. Residents have begun to lay in the supply of winter gear for fires and snow removal. The stores are full of salt ready to take on the winter to come.

With the beginning of December, the days have become cold and mostly dark; the holidays to come are almost always white as children long for that new pair of skates or sled.

The average snowfall in western New York runs around 100 inches but can vary depending on how long it takes for the lakes to turn to ice. The great snowstorms people associate with Buffalo happen when the waters of Lake Erie are still warm and the cold winter atmospheric air meet to produce the snow.

While the days are mostly cold until the onset of spring, there are warmer days and a short thaw at some point. And come late March or early April, the spring again returns to warm the air and melt the ice and snow.

Learn more about this author, Sherrill Fulghum.
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