Take a look back on the November storm of 2000 that dropped 24.9 inches of snow on an unsuspecting region in just nine hours. The snow fell at an inopportune time, noon to 9 p.m., turning highways into parking lots and leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
November storm of 2000
A pedestrian walks down snow-covered Bryant Street.
November storm of 2000
A driver becomes a pedestrian after abandoning his car on Transit Road in Williamsville.
November storm of 2000
Good Samaritans help push a car stuck on Main Street in Williamsville.
November storm of 2000
A pedestrain battles heavy wind while walking downtown.
November storm of 2000
A man pushes a full shopping cart against the wind and through the snow on Seneca Street.
November storm of 2000
Dave Schreiber clears snow at All High Stadium in preparation for the Thanksgiving Harvard Cup football game. The game ended up being played nine days later than planned because of the storm.
November storm of 2000
Dave Schreiber clears snow at All High Stadium in preparation for the Thanksgiving Harvard Cup football game. The game ended up being played nine days later than planned because of the storm.
November storm of 2000
Mark Harig battles blowing snow as he makes deliveries on Pearl Street for Prima Pizza and Pasta.
November storm of 2000
A man with a bag on his head makes his way through stalled, bumper-to-bumper traffic on Jefferson Avenue near Canisius College.
November storm of 2000
Traffic sits at a standstill on Main Street near West Ferry.
November storm of 2000
Margaret Rafferty of Cheektowaga brushes off her car in traffic on Main Street.
November storm of 2000
Heather McGuire brushes off her car in traffic on Main Street.
November storm of 2000
Driver digs out of his vehicle on Main Street near Youngs in Williamsville.
November storm of 2000
Canisius College students and staff stranded by the storm try to make themselves comfortable by playing cards in the Student Center.
November storm of 2000
Canisius College students and staff stranded by the storm try to make themselves comfortable in the Student Center.
November storm of 2000
Drivers become pedestrians after abandoning their cars on Transit Road in Williamsville.
November storm of 2000
Cars get stuck in traffic stopped on I-90 West.
November storm of 2000
Long lines of stopped traffic wait for hours on Transit Road in front of the Clarence Mall.
November storm of 2000
Snowplows work at clearing the New York State Thruway westbound lanes on Tuesday morning, after a major snowstorm hit the Western New York area.
November storm of 2000
A motorist gets a push on Porter Avenue.
November storm of 2000
Abandoned vehicles sit in front of City Hall the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
A snow-covered Buffalo I-190 northbound.
November storm of 2000
Abandoned vehicles sit in Niagara Square the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
A view of Delaware Avenue from City Hall the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
A view of Delaware Avenue from City Hall the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Santa and friends help a stuck motorist on Delaware Avenue the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
A view of a snow-covered Buffalo the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Santa tries to cheer up stranded motorists as they make their way down Delaware Avenue the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
A view of the 190 the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Motorists walk down Delaware Avenue with shovels to dig out their cars.
November storm of 2000
Motorists walk down Delaware Avenue with shovels to dig out their cars.
November storm of 2000
A stretch of vehicles on the 190 Northbound sit stranded the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Tractor trailers and other vehicles sit stranded on the New York State Thruway the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
A view of Niagara Street from City Hall the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
An aerial view of the 290 shows vehicles stranded the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Firemen use snowmobiles to get around during Tuesday's traffic jam on Delaware Avenue.
November storm of 2000
Vehicles stranded in front of City Hall after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Firemen use snowmobiles to get around during Tuesday's traffic jam on Delaware Avenue.
November storm of 2000
A construction loader clears snow off Delaware Avenue the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
The Golf Dome on Wehrle Drive in Clarence is collapsed by the storm.
November storm of 2000
Snowmobilers ride along Sheridan Drive near Harlem.
November storm of 2000
View from Youngs Road overpass as some truck traffic moves east.
November storm of 2000
View from above a vacant and closed Buffalo Niagara International Airport the morning after the storm.
November storm of 2000
John Buitnik of Cambridge, Ont., checks out his horse trailer carrying 10 standardbreds after getting stranded on the 290 for 18 hours. Buitnik said a Noco gas station gave him 30 pails of tap water for the horses.
November storm of 2000
A view of a snow-covered Buffalo the day after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Abandoned vehicles litter Delaware Avenue, after a Monday snowstorm hit Western New York.
November storm of 2000
Truck traffic on the 290 East remains stuck the next afternoon.
November storm of 2000
Traffic moves slow on Sheridan Drive in Amherst after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Cleanup crews work to clear off the runways at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
November storm of 2000
Weary travelers Paul Bartell and his wife, Amy, of West Seneca, try to figure out how to make their way to Las Vegas at a closed airport.
November storm of 2000
Travelers sleep, eat and read at the gates of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
November storm of 2000
A man shovels out cars in the airport parking lot.
November storm of 2000
A plow waits in traffic on Fillmore Avenue.
November storm of 2000
Ali Burt tries to shovel out his mother-in-law's van on Fillmore Avenue.
November storm of 2000
Passersby help get a Foster's beer truck out of Cleveland West Plaza in Cheektowaga.
November storm of 2000
A private crew helps clean up a portion of Maple Street.
November storm of 2000
Long lines of customers at Dunn Tire at Main and Transit in Williamsville wait to get new winter tires.
November storm of 2000
Vacant cars sit on Cleveland Drive in Cheektowaga.
November storm of 2000
Payloaders clear Bailey Avenue between Kensington and Route 33 two days after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Mike Wozniak grooms the hills at Kissing Bridge in preparation for the resort's opening.
November storm of 2000
Michelle Petrichick makes her way up Main Street in Springville.
November storm of 2000
Becky Mullen pull her daughter Luna, as her husband, Jim, walks with them up Elk Street in Springville on Nov. 22, 2000.
November storm of 2000
Ice skating at Fountain Plaza was closed for a few days following the storm.
November storm of 2000
A young couple walks along Main Street near Fountain Plaza.
November storm of 2000
New York State Thruway workers load trucks with snow on the I-190 northbound lane near the Seneca Street ramp.
November storm of 2000
New York State Thruway dump trucks unload snow removed from the 190 near the Peace Bridge onto a lot at Michigan near Scott Street.
November storm of 2000
Heavy equipment operator Thom Thomasula works on clearing Congress Street near Potomac on the West Side.
November storm of 2000
A Tenth Street resident realizes she is no match for Mother Nature.
November storm of 2000
A snow-filled street clogged with cars.
November storm of 2000
Traffic is halted on the New York State Thruway.
November storm of 2000
A snow-covered Buffalo after the storm.
November storm of 2000
Over 75 workers shovel away the snow resting atop the fallen Golf Dome on Wehrle Drive.
November storm of 2000
A pedestrian makes his way along a snow-covered West Side street.
November storm of 2000
Over a dozen good Samaritans team together to push a Rural/Metro ambulance stuck in deep snow ruts at Main and Transit in Williamsville.
November storm of 2000
Snow didn't get in the way of the 105th running of the Turkey Trot.
November storm of 2000
Snow didn't get in the way of the 105th running of the Turkey Trot.
November storm of 2000
McKinley assistant coach James Daye leads his team in prayer following their Harvard Cup victory over Seneca. The game ended up being played nine days later than planned because of the storm.
In this Series
Looking back at Buffalo's memorable November storms
On Nov. 17, 2014, we had no idea what we were in for: back-to-back lake-effect blasts that buried parts of Western New York under snowfall mea…
As plow crews gear up for an expected big blast of lake-effect snow, Buffalo lawmakers are clear about what they will not tolerate this winter from public works officials: excuses.Â
Major snows in the days before Thanksgiving are relatively rare, but always memorable.
