Who woulda thunk that was possible......
These places mentioned are actually northwest of Syracuse.
The lake effect is coming off of Ontario.
The area south of Buffalo where I grew up gets its snow off off Lake Erie. Which right now is almost completely frozen over. It is only on average 30 feet deep.
Lake Ontario and the rest of the Great Lakes never completely freeze over. Just the bays or some shore line.
Therefore, the downwind areas can get hammered all winter long. Syracuse(where I attended college) is the snowiest major city in the country.