SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After one of its mildest winters on record last year, Syracuse is out to reclaim its title as snow king of the Northeast this winter.

With nearly 91 inches of snow already – nearly 3 feet above normal – Syracuse is the front-runner in the snowfall sweepstakes, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

And, if the law of averages holds true, there will be another 4 feet of snow in Syracuse before winter packs it in.

“Let me tell you,” Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll said about the snowfall competition. “If they’re going to have this thing, we’ll be in it to win it.”

Behind Syracuse is Erie, Pa., with 88.4 inches of snow so far this season. Syracuse’s upstate neighbor, Rochester, is one-tenth of an inch behind Erie, followed by a surprise contender in the snowfall derby – Albany, where 74 inches have fallen.

Last year’s snowiest big city in the Northeast, Buffalo, has had only 71.8 inches of snow, and is lagging in fifth place. Another annual contender is Caribou, Maine, which surprisingly isn’t even in the top 10 this year. Only 47.6 inches have fallen in Caribou, about 8 inches below normal.

The winter snow season for the Northeast officially starts Oct. 1 and ends May 31, according to the climate center.

“January is generally the snowiest month in the Northeast, and on the average we should begin seeing a trend toward less snowfall as the winter begins to wind down,” said Keith Eggleston, a senior climatologist.

That may be true for most of the Northeast, but New York’s upstate cities know differently.

Because of the proximity of the Great Lakes, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo are prone to sudden lake-effect squalls that can pump out snow faster than an artificial snowmaking machine on full power.

Lake-effect storms are created when arctic winds blow out of Canada across the unfrozen lakes and pick up additional moisture. When the winds hit land, the moisture falls as snow.

Typically, the lakes are frozen over by January. But not this year.

“Really, the lake effect didn’t kick in until this month,” said Kathryn Vreeland, another climatologist. “The snow that fell in December was primarily from nor’easters. With Lake Erie and Lake Ontario still open, it’s hard to say how much more snowfall upstate New York could get.”

Buffalo, which averages about 97 inches of snow a winter, holds the upstate record with 199.4 inches in 1976-1977. Syracuse’s all-time record is 192 inches in 1992-1993. The city averages 117 inches a winter, earning the honor of America’s snowiest big city from the National Weather Service. Last year, Syracuse received a paltry 59.4 inches.

In the meantime, Syracuse is relishing its lead heading into the homestretch.

“The snow is here,” Driscoll said. “It is what it is, and we need to deal with it.

“I don’t think it’s something to be afraid of. You should embrace it. You should promote it,” the mayor said.