Hot in Parts of the West; Cold Blast Coming to the Central U.S.

Hot to extremely hot temperatures are in place much of this week across parts of California and the interior Northwest U.S. A blast of cold air will drop across the central and eastern U.S. later this week bringing below to well below normal temperatures. Read More >

Western New York Weather History

JANUARY 16

1998-1999

DEC 18-JAN 16…Near record snowfalls of four to six feet across the region during the last part of December and first half of January put a strain on area buildings. Roof collapses and entire structure failures were numerous across the area. Some specific examples of damage: In Forestville, the St.Rose of Lima Church Hall was a total loss after the entire structure collapsed under the weight of the snow. At the Eldridge Bicycle Club in North Tonawanda the ceiling beams snapped and the roof caved in. A portion of the roof of Frontier Bowling Lanes in Lewiston caved in.A builders supply warehouse caved in Olean.Widmer Wines in Naples experienced a roof collapse. In Gaines, the roof of the Highway garage collapsed, damaging some snow removal equipment. A hanger at the Williamson/Sodus airport collapsed. Four planes were destroyed and another was damaged. Numerous barns across the region collapsed under the excessive weight of the snow, in several dairy cows were injured and killed. Several garages collapsed damaging the automobiles and machinery inside them. In Orchard Park, a man was injured when a garage collapsed on top of him. In Lakeville, a woman was trapped for two hours under a collapsed carport. She was rescued by contractors she had called earlier in the day to remove the snow from the top of the carport. The structure failures aided in the decision by the State and FEMA to declare disaster areas and make assistance available to the counties.