December 2022 winter storm and Buffalo blizzard: central and eastern US
21–26 December 2022 · Central and eastern US; worst blizzard in the Buffalo area
Named Winter Storm Elliott by The Weather Channel, a private company [4]. The National Weather Service does not name winter storms.
A plunge of Arctic air into the eastern half of the country and a rapidly deepening low brought dangerous cold and wind just before Christmas 2022. Around Buffalo it became a blizzard that NWS Buffalo compares with the infamous blizzards of 1977 and 1985.
What happened
- Buffalo had 37 consecutive hours of blizzard conditions from early on 23 December into late on 24 December, with gusts over 70 mph (72 mph at most). [2]
- Snow totalled near 4 feet in the Buffalo area, and about 4 feet also fell east of Lake Ontario around Watertown. [2]
- Wind chills fell below -20°F around Buffalo on 23 December, and thousands of vehicles were abandoned on the roads. [2]
Deaths
- 87 deaths in NCEI's billion-dollar disaster record ("Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave"), across all affected states. [1]
- NWS Buffalo says the blizzard claimed the lives of nearly four dozen people in its area. [2]
Official counts differ when they cover different areas or count only deaths caused directly by the weather. Both are shown; neither is adjusted here.
Power outages
- High winds caused numerous power outages across Western New York. [2]
Cost
$8.4 billion at the time, or $9.0 billion adjusted for inflation by NCEI [1]. NCEI's record name: Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave (December 2022).
States named in the sources used here: New York.
Questions
When was the December 2022 winter storm and Buffalo blizzard?
21–26 December 2022, across: Central and eastern US; worst blizzard in the Buffalo area.
How many people died?
87 deaths in NCEI's billion-dollar disaster record ("Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave"), across all affected states. NWS Buffalo says the blizzard claimed the lives of nearly four dozen people in its area.
Why is it called Winter Storm Elliott?
Elliott is a name from The Weather Channel, which has named winter storms each season since 2012-13. The National Weather Service does not name winter storms, so its own summaries describe this storm by date and area.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, events 1980-2024
- NWS Buffalo: Winter 2022-23 season summary (PDF)
- FERC and NERC: report on bulk-power system operations during the December 2022 winter storm
- The Weather Channel, "Winter Storm Names 2026-27" (how and why it names winter storms)
US government sources are public domain. Figures are quoted as the sources give them; this site has not added to or adjusted them.
Other major US winter storms
- February 22-23, 2026 East Coast blizzard · 22–23 February 2026
- January 24-26, 2026 winter storm · 24–26 January 2026
- January 2025 Gulf Coast snowstorm · 20–22 January 2025
- January 2024 Arctic outbreak and winter storms · 12–18 January 2024
- February 2021 winter storm and Texas freeze · 10–19 February 2021
- January 2019 polar vortex cold · 30–31 January 2019
- February 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard · 1–3 February 2011
- January 1998 ice storm · 5–9 January 1998
- March 1993 Superstorm · 11–14 March 1993
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