The Golden Snowball: It’s a “Threepeater” for Buffalo!

Author: Stephen Vermette, Department of Geosciences – SUNY Buffalo State University

When all of our snow finally melted, the winter of 2023-24 left Buffalo with the nickname “the snowiest city in New York State”! With this comes a trophy: The Golden Snowball. The title of “Snowiest City” has been around for three years (2021 to 2024 with seasonal snow totals of 97.4, 133.6 and 71.3 inches). Indeed, Buffalo has won the trophy four of the last six years. Between 2021 and 2023, Buffalo also earned the distinction of being the snowiest city in the country (last year, Buffalo came in third place behind Anchorage, Alaska and Boulder, Colorado).

Of course, this is all in fun and for bragging rights. It’s a WNY thing. We live it. You know the expression: “Buffalo Tough”. That’s the point. The Golden Snowball trophy is much more than just a snow total count. Snow has been and continues to be an integral part of Buffalo and Western New York (WNY). It’s ingrained in our DNA, that we are drawn to the beauty of these fluffy crystals and the possibility of delighting in them; or to curse the burdens of driving and shoveling. We are impressed with the lake effect snow bands and accumulated totals. Snow is definitely a Buffalo (WNY) identifier, as are wings (blue cheese, not ranch dressing), fish fry, and Mafia Bills, to name a few. The good and bad of snow is what ties our city and region together and illustrates why we are a “City (Region) of Good Neighbors.” I can’t imagine a Buffalo and WNY without snow!

While we wait for the Stanley Cup and the Vince Lombardi Trophy, let’s celebrate what we have. And it’s snow! It’s not always the case. In 2018-19, Buffalo won the trophy but became the first city to refuse it! Mayor Brown was not interested. To avoid a repeat rejection in 2022, I took the initiative to say “yes”, got the trophy and was its guardian during my time in Buffalo. The SUNY Buffalo State Department of Geosciences hosts the trophy on behalf of the City of Buffalo. The trophy is kept in a glass case at Buffalo State University, but doesn’t spend much time resting there. Most days he is touring throughout WNY. The Golden Snowball Trophy has appeared as a winter ambassador at Wing Fest, Buffalo Museum of Science, Hamburg, West Seneca and Buffalo Central Library, Duff’s Famous Wings*, The BFLO Store, Vidler’s 5 & 10, Russell’s Steaks, Chops and More, 42 North Brewing Company, Becker Farms, as well as various post offices, cafes and winter festivals. Did you know that the trophy appeared on Off Beat Cinema (WBBZ-TV) and that the Buffalo Brewing Company proudly displayed the trophy and made a beer (Golden Snowbeer*) in recognition of the award? The competition and trophy have been embraced by our community and I have had the privilege of meeting so many good people. This article gives me the opportunity to thank all those who “get it” and had fun reveling in its stupidity.

Speaking of “stupidity,” our winning streak may have a deeper meaning. Since the award’s inception, the city of Syracuse has dominated the competition. However, recently other cities have won more frequently and no more than Buffalo. Syracuse is experiencing a snow drought. Does this represent a change? Is the competition a barometer of our snowy future? Buffalo usually takes the lead in the snow competition (often due to our tendency to quickly accumulate a lot of snow in a matter of hours and days), only to be overtaken by Syracuse’s more steady accumulation. Our nemesis has been freezing Lake Erie (Lake Erie is shallower than Lake Ontario and more susceptible to freezing, shutting down our lake effect machine). Although it seems counterintuitive, is it possible that in a warming world, Lake Erie freezes less often and thus allows the lake effect machine to run harder and longer throughout the winter to keep our snow totals high? And of course, collect more Buffalo firsts for the Golden Snowball competition. Time will tell us.

Having won the competition once again last winter, the trophy will be with us and on tour for another year. My hope this coming year is to engage the artistic community to freshly interpret the legacy of the trophy. I am open to discussing ideas. Please see our Buffalo web link at: geosciences.buffalostate.edu/sites/geosciences/files/documents/golden_snowball.pdf.

A brief history

The Golden Snowball Award is a competition* between five cities in upstate New York: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany. The snow contest awards the Golden Snowball trophy to the city that receives the most snowfall during a snow season. It is awarded every year.

The snow contest began during the 1976-1977 period (including the Blizzard of 1977) when meteorologists were amazed by Buffalo’s 199.4 inches and Peter Chaston of the National Weather Service’s Rochester office ( NWS), imagined the competition and organized a trophy consisting of a ball sprayed with gold paint. It was a friendly competition orchestrated by five NWS offices. Besides the trophy, the press played an active role in keeping the competition alive and still does today. There was even talk of related parties and parades.

The award became inactive in the mid-1990s with the modernization of the NWS and the closure of weather offices in Rochester and Syracuse. While the Buffalo Weather Bureau was at the time tasked with overseeing the contest, top NWS officials apparently said No. Thus, the competition was reborn in 2002 as a city-to-city competition, thanks in part to the efforts of Patrick DeCoursey (oracle of the golden snowball), Sean Kirst (a journalist who understands the true meaning of the snowball snow) and Dave. Sage and Tom Niziol (whimsical meteorologists), among others. To this day, Patrick DeCoursey maintains a website (usually operational only during the winter months) to keep track of snow totals and promote the contest.

Nobody owns the trophy. The mayors of the winning cities temporarily receive the Golden Snowball trophy. The original trophy disappeared during the dormant phase of the competition (the problem was it was lost in Buffalo?) and was replaced by today’s trophy (created and donated by the A1 Trophy store in Syracuse).

The Golden Snowball competition: It’s a trio!

The Golden Snowball competition: It’s a trio!

The Golden Snowball competition: It’s a trio!

*Duff’s Famous Wings pays homage, in its own unique way, to the Golden Snowball Trophy.

*Golden Snow Beer. Made with WNY Snow.

*Contest creator: Pete R. Chaston d. June 15, 2022.