screenshot from 3 Jan, 2026 Snow Report in Sandy Creek, NY by CNY Central on YouTube

4 January 2026

In Case You Missed It

“As of early Saturday morning, January 3, some areas in Oswego County, including Pulaski and Sandy Creek, had received as much as 4 feet (48 inches) of snow within a 24-hour period since New Year’s Day.” — Syracuse.com

CNY Central TV shows what this looks like!

This huge snowfall, called “lake effect snow,” happens when cold air moves over warm, open water on the Great Lakes.

Diagram of Lake Effect Snow from weather.gov

The path of the storm determines which community gets hit and the storm’s intensity. Meteorologist Eric Snitil shows how the storm picked up moisture from four bodies of water.

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Indeed all the Great Lakes were ice free. Here’s the storm’s path superimposed on GLERL’s ice map. Pale blue means open water.

Ice cover on the Great Lakes, 2 Jan 2026, added orange arrow for wind path of storm. (Original Map from NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab)

Where is Sandy Creek, NY? It’s at the arrowhead on the map above. Click here to see its location on Google Maps.