Watertown, N.Y., Will Live Up to Its Name After Thaw

Residents of this northern New York state city haven’t spent much time worrying about the snow piling up in Buffalo or blowing across the Midwest. They’ve been too busy shoveling the 6.3 feet of snow that has fallen here since Jan. 1.

“My garbage bag was at eye-level when I put it out this week,” said City Manager Jerry Hiller as he took a break from running a snow blower on his driveway.

City snow removal crews have been working nearly round the clock since New Year’s Day, with the city getting at least 4 inches of snow every day.

“With steady snow 24 hours a day, by the time each truck plows its route, it’s time to go out and do it again,” Hiller said.

And it’s not something anybody in the city of about 30,000 residents wants to brag about.

“I’m not sure that’s the notoriety we want,” Hiller said Friday. “Let Buffalo get the headlines.”

The western New York city of Buffalo, which has a reputation for heavy snowfall, has gotten about 60 inches since Jan. 1. Normally, Watertown averages about 80 inches of snow for the whole year, according to the National Weather Service.

Some of the blame for this winter’s whopping snowfall at Watertown goes to Lake Ontario. Because of warm temperatures in November and December, the lake didn’t freeze over. That means plenty of moisture could evaporate into the cold wind and turn to snow over land, said Edward Klein of the National Weather Service.

But the most recent snowfall was caused by a storm that arrived from the Midwest, not lake-effect conditions, he said.

The heavy blanket of snow around Watertown has collapsed roofs on barns, homes and businesses--including a snowmobile dealership that was severely damaged Friday.