Niagara Falls in the Winter/Buffalo Airport
 

Thinking of going there some time in Dec, Jan or Feb. We'd be flying from NYC and so my concerns are flying into the Buffalo Airport as Buffalo seems to have tons of snow beginning even in September.

Anybody have any experience with this airport? Do they close it down frequently?

Um, the area of the Falls is quite likely to have weather similar to the airport (which might close - not way to tell until shortly before). You do realize that some of the major sights/activities close for the season at end of October - and the weather is likely to be COLD and snowy/icy?

Also, if you do go, the Canadian side has much better views and a much better choice of decent hotels - so hope you all have your passports. (I would not go - even in midsummer if stuck on the US side only.)

Would you rent a car from Buffalo? Then you need to be sure you can take it into Canada.

I think we would get a taxi or shuttle from the airport. Yes, I know it will be very cold. We are only checking out hotels on the Canadian side.

Consider taking the Amtrak Maple Leaf train to Niagara Falls Ontario. Take a taxi from the train station to your Canada side hotel.
Yes it takes longer but I think you're more likely to get there compared with flying to Buffalo.
The view from the train going up the Hudson River Valley is something you won't see from an airplane.

tomfuller, We had considered that but the train takes over 9 hours plus the time it takes to get to Penn Station in enough time not to miss the train. Sounds rough to me.

Are you from OZ?

Tom are you from Pluto?

That is insanely long rail trip and the on-time record varies.

The weather in Buffalo in winter is plain awful. They get what is called lake effect snow. Buffalo averages 25 inches of snow each January, just for January.

Some winters it is so brutal the THe Falls freeze, that is not an exaggeration but it is rare. The pictures show it is quite beautiful however.

I'd make other plans. Even <i>if</i> Niagara Falls is on your bucket list -- the dead of winter isn't the time to visit.

I live minutes from the Falls and can assure you that all of the above "experts" are full of baloney...

The lake effect snow falls well south of Niagara and a visit during the winter can be magical... No crowds, no lines, and a beautiful Wine region in nearby Niagara on the Lake... Consider coming during the January Icewine Festival for amazing events and culinary treats along with the world famous Icewine .

Room rates are off season, so you can score a Fallsview room for a third of the seasonal rate...

The airport is also north of the snowbelt and rarely closes... Most often flights are only cancelled due to weather in other cities... Buffalo airport is the training center for snow removal for most other cities and holds the annual convention for managers of runway operations.

Niagara is also an hour from Toronto if you wish to venture into the City.

These goofball posters can read about 25 inches of snow and shout "the sky is falling" but 25 inches feeds the multi million dollar ski industry in our south towns .

Please visit, and don't take advice from someone who watches cable weather and pretends to live here...

Ps... You are much better off getting a rental car so you can explore more of the area...

gary - Yes, I have read that the airport is not in the actual snow belt but I wonder about flights that have to go through the snow belt to get there! Also, I believe the Falls don't freeze over - they're too big and they are moving with great force.

I also wondered about Amtrak actually being able to move their trains along the rails if there is so much snow! But that point is moot as we would never take that much time to get to Niagara when it takes less time to get to Russia.

I know Buffalo airport is a model for handling snow. If there are 2 inches in Nashville, for example, they close everything down because they can't handle it. If we go, a big IF, there could be snow here in NYC and the planes may not take off from here.

I wonder if we would do best to wait a week before we want to leave so we can check out the forecast - and what the airfare would be at that time.

So much to think about!

I would not plan this trip far in advance in winter. And you might consider flying into and out of Toronto - based on costs. It's not far from the Falls and is a great city to visit - as long as you don;t mind cold and snow (which it seems you don't or you wouldn't be considering this.)

And sorry, yes, the falls do sometimes freeze - they did this past winter which was a very harsh/cold one. Not sure if they freeze through to the bottom, but the water on the surface of the whole thing can freeze at times.

Agree that the snow at the falls is not as bad as the lake effect - but to people not used to a real winter the weather can be shatteringly cold with the wind chill.

Boy oh boy... This Falls freezing thing with dozens of pictures...

All that happens is the ice and snow pile up to hide the falls and the mist covers the ice... The water is still running behind the pile, millions of gallons... When the water moves the ice, it can create an ice bridge that you could walk on...

Please don't teach the kiddies that the falls freezes solid and the water stops... It's an optical delusion...

Just giving a visual possibility of visiting The Falls in the winter.

The pictures are gorgeous. Obviously the Falls don't completely freeze as you can see the mist rising. If I could set my worries aside about the flying part of it - will we get there or will we not? - then I would be happy to be there at that time. I don't see hordes of tourists and schoolchildren!

For me it would depend on how flexible the rest of your trip will be. Northern airports can handle snow. Even Boston/Logan, with record snow this winter, actually closed for only a few days - but on many more days flights were cancelled or significantly delayed. As you know, flights in winter may be cancelled or significantly delayed by snow on some other part of that airline's - or the specific plane's - travels. And if you are only going somewhere for a couple of days, a delay of even 5-10 hours might make the trip pointless. So of course you will get there, so whether or not you can absorb a cancellation or significant delay would be the deciding factor for me.

gail - Yup. That's the big question for us.

Time to think more about it.

<<so my concerns are flying into the Buffalo Airport as Buffalo seems to have tons of snow beginning even in September.>>

lol. We do not have tons of snow beginning in September.

Traveling anywhere in the northeast or midwest in the winter includes the possibility of delayed or cancelled flights due to weather. It is not particular to Buffalo. The Buffalo airport does not frequently close due to snow or other weather.

In December, the average high is 36 and the average low is 23. Average snowfall is 22 inches for the month.

In January, the average high is 31 and the average low is 18. Average snowfall is 24 inches.

In February, the average high is 32 and the average low is 18. Average snowfall is 18 inches.

Lake effect snow is more often than not south of the airport but not always. The severity of lake effect snow diminishes as Lake Erie becomes more frozen - most likely there will be less lake effect in February versus December or January.

Niagara Falls can be beautiful in later winter (not so much in December), when a layer of ice forms over everything. It's a little surreal.

That being said, you will likely have cold, blustery weather. There is a dearth of sunshine that time of the year and it is often windy.