Buffalo's January Thundersnow: A Rare Winter Weather Phenomenon

As Buffalo and Western New York begin to go through a quick January thaw, we've seen some weird weather lately. Over the last few days, the Buffalo area has been experiencing some serious snowfall and extremely frigid temperatures, with more than two feet of snow falling in some areas and low temperatures that fell well into the single digits (with subzero windchills).

Now that we're going through a mini-warmup, with temps in the high 20s and low 30s, the Buffalo area is starting to experience a weather phenomenon that would catch the average person off guard. In fact, it might even scare you if you didn't know what it was.

In case you never heard of it before, Buffalo was hit with some thundersnow on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and it caught quite a few people off guard.

According to the National Weather Service, thundersnow happens when there is relatively strong instability and abundant moisture above the surface of the Earth, such as above a warm front. When this happens, the thundersnow storm is just like a typical thunderstorm - except snow, and in Buffalo, it's often a lot of snow.

KEEP READING: Latest Snowfall Totals From Last Lake Effect Storm In Buffalo

As places all over Western New York start to prepare for another batch of heavy winter snow and cold, the thundersnow we heard tonight is just a reminder of how powerful the weather patterns are here in the Buffalo area.

More cold and snow are on the way to Buffalo, so before it arrives, this is the perfect time to make sure you've prepared for winter.