24 Things You'll Never Understand Until You Survive a CNY Winter

You haven't lived through winter until you've experienced one in New York.

If you've never been in the Empire State during a massive winter storm, especially one with Lake effect snow, there are some things you just won't understand.

In the south, hurricanes are given names. In the north, we name our snowstorms. There was Orlena in 2020 that dumped more than 16 inches of snow at one time in parts of Central New York. Then there was the big one in 2017. Stella left behind a record 42 inches in West Winfield and 36 inches in the Utica area. Not quite as much as the storm of the century that buried Syracuse in 43 inches in 1993.

Luckily, Mother Nature doesn't bring that much snow to New York EVERY winter. It's nice when she gives us a break every few years. The big storms that do come often hit at the end of the season, just when everyone is over the winter season and ready for spring.

To truly appreciate the winter season, you have to live through at least one major snowstorm in New York. Then you'll understand some things that happen here you probably wouldn't see anywhere else.