Winter has begun in Upstate New York, regardless of what the calendar says.

That means it’s time for the Golden Snowball , an annual “award” for the snowiest city in the region. The competition is based on how much snowfall occurs in Syracuse, Albany, Buffalo, Binghamton and Rochester, and the “winner” receives a trophy in the spring.

The early leader for the 2025-2026 season is Syracuse by about a foot. The Salt City has seen a total of 33.7 inches as of Thursday night, according to GoldenSnowball.com , nearly double the normal average to date (19.7 inches through Dec. 11).

In second place is Rochester with 21.1 inches of snow as of 8 p.m. Thursday, according to GoldenSnowball.com. The rest of the top five are close together with Buffalo at No. 3 with 17.6 inches of snow, Albany

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