The snow event that went down in Buffalo history as “Snowvember” did not arrive as a surprise on Nov. 17, 2014.

We knew well in advance it would be big, but even the most winter-hardened Western New Yorkers among us were overwhelmed.

The curtain of lake effect snow began just south of downtown Buffalo, and the plume enveloped the Southtowns and extended toward Batavia.

As with many snowstorms, areas to the north and farther south caught a break. Tonawanda for example had less than 8 inches of snow fall.

In the heart of the storm system, 52 inches fell in West Seneca. Orchard Park was paralyzed, with the Bills game having to be moved to Detroit. The storm champion was Wyoming County’s Cowlesville, which topped the seven-foot mark.

A total of 13 deaths were blamed on the snow, including two people who were stranded in their vehicles. Trucks and buses were stranded on highways and rescue efforts were continuous. Travel bans were extensive.

News 4 Buffalo pulled out all the stops for continuous live coverage on TV, but plenty of people were working overtime – plow drivers, police officers, paramedics and elected officials pulled double- and triple-duty. There were many accounts of rescues and heroism.

The snow was piled into mountains, and eventually (months later in some cases) melted, but everyone who made it through has a Snowvember story.