“Shopping for snow” made easy by snow cam website with live feeds from Tug Hill (2024)

FAQs

How much snow does Tug Hill, NY have? ›

Located east of Lake Ontatio, the Tug Hill region sees roughly 200 inches of snow, on average, each year.

As Arctic air blows across Lake Ontario -- the only Great Lake that doesn't freeze over - it scoops up moisture and dumps it as snow on the slope of Tug Hill.

Tug Hill, sometimes referred to as the Tug Hill Plateau, is an upland region in northern New York state, notable for heavy winter snows. The Tug Hill region is east of Lake Ontario, north of Oneida Lake, and west of the Adirondack Mountains. The region is separated from the Adirondacks by the Black River Valley.

A best guess on the origin of the name for the Tug Hill region is that “Tug Hill” was a frequently used name in the 18th and 19th centuries for many areas reached by horses or oxen “tugging” a wagon up a long road to get to a high area.

A staggering 75.6 inches of snowfall fell on New York City in the winter of 1995 to 1996. A January blizzard dropped 30 inches of snow on Staten Island that crippled the city, contributing to the record-setting season total.

Sodus Point, New York is the most remote of small towns in the state. Located on Lake Ontario, Sodus Point is right in the middle of the Finger Lakes region.

In many areas of Alaska and British Columbia, there are no meteorological stations, so we can only imagine how much falls during a given season. In Mount Rainier National Park, at the Paradise Ranger Station, 1,224.5 inches (102 feet) of snow fell between February 19, 1971, and February 18, 1972.

The plateau's location relative to the lake and its higher elevation create ideal conditions for lake-effect snow. As the moisture-laden air rises over the plateau, it cools and releases the moisture as snow, resulting in heavy and persistent snowfall.

Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon. Humid with highs ranging from the mid 80s on the tug hill to the upper 80s across the lower elevations. Light southeast winds.

After cold air has streamed over the length of Lake Ontario, it moves inland and is forced to climb the slopes of the Tug Hill Plateau and the Adirondack Mountains, resulting in very heavy snowfall.