Port Jefferson Got the Most Snow In New York During the Storm

The storm that brought more than a foot of snow to the area Tuesday night and Wednesday is now churning in the gulf of Maine, but not before leaving its mark.

In fact, came in with the highest total in New York, at 20 inches. The second highest official total, in nearby Selden, was 19.3 inches. Given the various difficulties in measuring total snowfall, it is hard to be certain which area got the most. Based on the National Weather Service posted totals, the heaviest axis of snow was aligned along the north shore of Suffolk County from Stony Brook east to Upton, including Port Jefferson.

In contrast to the Blizzard of 2010, this storm had higher impacts to the east. As the storm moved up the coast, it began to strengthen rapidly, bringing with it heavy bands of snow.

Meteorologist Greg Petridis says the higher totals were a matter of good timing.

“Eastern Long Island was in a good spot, because the storm developed at the right time,” he said.

It is difficult to pinpoint where the heaviest bands of snow will setup in any given snowstorm. Placement under these enhanced areas of snowfall for an extended period of time can greatly impact snowfall totals. Areas only 15 miles to the west received, on average, 6 inches less snowfall from this storm than Port Jefferson.

“What happened was a highly complex physical process,” said professional forecaster Donald Sutherland.

Even after two sizable snowstorms, winter is not even a month old. The possibility exists that this won’t even be the worst storm of the season for the Port Jefferson area. Typically, February is the snowiest month. However, it does appear that the threat for heavy accumulating snow will disappear for at least the next week.