Between January 28 and February 1, 1977, 12 inches of snow fell on the City of Buffalo. For Western New York residents, 12 inches is barely enough encouragement to pull the snowblower from the garage before hurrying off to work. Yet because of that five-day period, and for 12 inches of snow, Buffalo will forever be linked synonymously with weather.

The falling snow, itself, was hardly the problem. Instead, it was the 65 mph winds and 60-below wind chills driving already fallen snow off of the surface of Lake Erie and onto the City – causing a catastrophe which became infamous as the “Blizzard of ’77.” The region’s marketing minds have spent the last 30 years attempting to overcome a national image based on that five-day period. Yet the link in the eyes of the nation and the world make Buffalo an ideal location for the quintessential weather experience center.

In truth, those pushing a new image for Buffalo have a great argument at their disposal. While the region indeed gets its fair share of snow, areas in Upstate New York east of Buffalo certainly receive more. In fact, the Buffalo Niagara region, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), features more sunny days annually than Orlando, Florida. Buffalo is unique in that it experiences a diversity of weather patterns throughout the year, keying the regionally-known cliché, “Don’t like Buffalo weather? Wait five minutes.” With the flow of weather systems across the Great Lakes, and the uniqueness of the effect of the Southern Ontario peninsula on the region’s weather, the Buffalo waterfront is the ideal location for weather viewing and study.

Such a meteorological setting is a natural fit for a facility that will provide not only tourist and visitor appeal, but a venue for scientific research, thought and discussion. Regional educational resources, access to alternative forms of energy to create a “green” facility, and widespread public support further the likelihood of not only economic, scientific and entertainment viability, but impact, the weather center would yield for the Buffalo Niagara region.

From a marketing point-of-view, Buffalo has already been “branded” when it comes to weather because of 12 inches of snow that fell 30 years ago. The vision of the Buffalo Weather Experience Center is to capitalize on that attention to create a nationally-renowned center for studying and enjoying weather.