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The predominant wind direction in Syracuse during December was from the southwest. With winds from this direction there is no real chance for significant lake-effect snow here. Only 16 inches of snow was measured here during the month. The seasonal snowfall total climbed to 20 inches which is half of normal. The average temperature was 31.6 degrees, about one degree above normal. Temperatures ranged from 63 on December 30 to 6 on December 24 in the wake of a sharp cold front. This cold front rocketed through the region on Friday December 23, producing a 52-mph wind gust. Temperatures dropped from 43 to 7 degrees in just a few hours. The December weather story was far different in Buffalo where the same southwesterly wind flow produced the most significant lake-effect blizzard there since 1977, pounding the city with 72-mph winds and 4 feet of snow. For a second consecutive month, Buffalo's crazy weather was a lead national and world news story. Twenty-nine people died in the 1977 blizzard. The death toll in the Buffalo area from this event was 28 - a combination of EMS delays, people found outside, shoveling cardiac events, lack of heat, and in a vehicle. The seasonal snowfall for Rochester stood at 9 inches. Buffalo's seasonal snowfall climbed to 93 inches!
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