as the xmas song says... let it snow

here we go and some say it's early...
got my snowblower all ready and am getting gas in the morning.

By Erin Place
The Palladium-Times
Mon Nov 17, 2008, 09:36 PM EST

Oswego, N.Y. -
Although winter does not officially begin until Dec. 21 by the lunar calendar, old man winter has already blown through the Port City of Oswego.
According to local weather observer Bill Gregway, the city of Oswego received roughly four inches of snow in the period stretching from around 8:30 p.m., Sunday, to 7 a.m., Monday. “It was pretty heavy, wet snow,” he said, noting that the season’s first snow was full of water.

People forgot how to drive, again....
According to the Oswego County 911 center, there were a total of 40 property damage accidents as of late Monday afternoon. There were also 11 accidents involving injuries or possible injuries resulting from the snowfall.

Gregway gave a brief timeline of events that kicked off the Port City’s winter season. Around 6 p.m. Sunday it began to rain. Right before 8:30 p.m., the winds shifted and some ice and snow pellets began to mix in with the rain. “At 8:35 p.m. to be exact, we had a flash of lightning and thunder and with that came the snow,” he said.
Throughout Sunday evening into early Monday morning, there were four occurrences of heavier snow bursts called thunder snow, the weather observer said. The thunder snow struck at 8:55 p.m., 12:05 a.m., 12:15 a.m. and 2:30 a.m.
“It’s caused by the lake effect clouds when they are generally quite lower to the surface,” Gregway explained. “They create static electricity and give off lightning. That usually ushers in a heavier snow burst.”
The snow that Oswego received was lake effect and it lasted until about 7 a.m., Monday. According to Gregway, the winds shifted again early Monday, pushing the band to head south near Syracuse. He noted that the snow and winds were not as heavy after the band moved away from Oswego County.