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NYC's 15 year snow average is now 34.00"


yhbrooklyn

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Guest Pamela

Could you list Dulles? It would be interesting to see Reagan Airport in a snowhole vs. Dulles which is more like PHL climo-wise.

 

Snowfall last 15 years

Washington Dulles

2000-01 through 2014-15 (through March 7) snowfall:

 

334.3 inches total / 22.29 inches in an average year

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Guest Pamela

Thanks-definitely different from Reagan. Thanks. 

 

National / Reagan Airport is at sea level; Dulles Field is up in the Virginia Piedmont several miles west of town at over 400 feet...and well outside the Washington DC UHI. 

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Most of northern NJ saw in the 20 to 25 inch range like NYC per the observers of the day...it was only until one got into CT (west of New London County) that the incredible snow amounts were recorded...46" at New Haven...50" at Middletown...50" (approx.) in the mid Hudson Valley at Albany. Far to the south, Cape May saw but 10"...and parts of Sussex County saw as little as 12".

This makes sense; as western & central New England being the focal point for the heaviest axis of precip...being just to the west of the sharp front separating easterly winds and maritime air from the arctic air west of the boundary and a north to northwesterly flow.

Game set match. You schooled me Pam. I still think NYC saw more then 20" per modern standards.

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15 year normal is an impressive 36.4" here, with also 4 terrible winters of < 15" (01-02, 06-07, 07-08, 11-12). Really phenomenal for a 15 year period to contain only 4 well below normal winters.

 

I'm of the opinion that we're going to see tendency / continuance of more high latitude blocking episodes in the coming winters due to the decline in solar parameters overall. There's solid scientific research that correlates the weakened solar constant w/ an increased propensity for high latitude blocking. Thus, I do believe we've entered a new climatic normal to some extent, such that snowfall will generally be elevated in comparison to the 1970-2000 30 year time frame. If one examines the lower solar period of the 1700s and part of the 1800s, one would find a high frequency of cold / snowy winters. There will continue to be clunkers with < 15" of snowfall, but I believe on the whole, our snowfall averages will continue to slowly increase over the course of the coming decade. My call from several years ago was that the 2010-2020 decade would actually prove snowier than 2000-2010 in NYC. We'll see how the second half of the decade plays out.

Couldn't agree more. I would also argue to include these last two years as blocky ones as well. One may only think of blocking in the traditional sense of -AO -NAO. What we've seen in the last two years was tremendous blocking in the pacific EPO domain.

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Guest Pamela

Could you list Dulles? It would be interesting to see Reagan Airport in a snowhole vs. Dulles which is more like PHL climo-wise.

 

Greater Washington area actually was in a horrendous snow drought 1987-88 through 2008-09...with only the 1995-96 winters and the 2002-03 winters picking up the slack.  2009-10 was soo snowy that it improved the last 20 year mean drastically...and due to a good ending, the 2013-14 winter was very snowy, too.  The 2014-15 winter is likewise ending on a snowy note down there. 

 

The increase in snowfall...first showing up in Boston during the 1992-93 winter...working its way down to NYC & LI during 1993-94...is showing signs of working its way even further down the coast...with DC now having snowy winters in 3 of the last 6 years...a good sign for those in the Northeast who like cold & snow. 

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Couldn't agree more. I would also argue to include these last two years as blocky ones as well. One may only think of blocking in the traditional sense of -AO -NAO. What we've seen in the last two years was tremendous blocking in the pacific EPO domain.

 

 

Agree 100%. I'd also count the last two winters as having high latitude blocking (over the EPO domain).

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Greater Washington area actually was in a horrendous snow drought 1987-88 through 2008-09...with only the 1995-96 winters and the 2002-03 winters picking up the slack.  2009-10 was soo snowy that it improved the last 20 year mean drastically...and due to a good ending, the 2013-14 winter was very snowy, too.  The 2014-15 winter is likewise ending on a snowy note down there. 

 

The increase in snowfall...first showing up in Boston during the 1992-93 winter...working its way down to NYC & LI during 1993-94...is showing signs of working its way even further down the coast...with DC now having snowy winters in 3 of the last 6 years...a good sign for those in the Northeast who like cold & snow. 

 

 

I don't think we'll see another Maunder type minimum, but I think we have a chance to witness solar cycles similar to that of the Dalton (1800s) minimum in the coming decades. If the case, winters should continue to be quite interesting around these parts, and potentially even more "interesting" than they have been already.

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Most of northern NJ saw in the 20 to 25 inch range like NYC per the observers of the day...it was only until one got into CT (west of New London County) that the incredible snow amounts were recorded...46" at New Haven...50" at Middletown...50" (approx.) in the mid Hudson Valley at Albany.  Far to the south, Cape May saw but 10"...and parts of Sussex County saw as little as 12". 

This makes sense; as western & central New England being the focal point for the heaviest axis of precip...being just to the west of the sharp front separating easterly winds and maritime air from the arctic air west of the boundary and a north to northwesterly flow.

 

Game set match. You schooled me Pam. I still think NYC saw more then 20" per modern standards.

 

 

 

The photographs in NYC following the Blizzard of 1888 look more substantial than a 20" snowfall to me. I don't think they exceeded 30", but I'd say it was at least several inches underestimated with a total in the 24-26" range. The post Christmas storm of 1947 in NYC I also believe to be slightly undermeasured, with more total snowfall than the February 2006 blizzard.

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Guest Pamela

The photographs in NYC following the Blizzard of 1888 look more substantial than a 20" snowfall to me. I don't think they exceeded 30", but I'd say it was at least several inches underestimated with a total in the 24-26" range. The post Christmas storm of 1947 in NYC I also believe to be slightly undermeasured, with more total snowfall than the February 2006 blizzard.

 

Central Park came in with 26.4"...which was one of the higher amounts in the area.  That storm was mostly rain over the extreme eastern sections of LI.  The extremely heavy snow extended as far east as about Patchogue on LI...20 miles or so west of where the Twin Forks start....where they saw 29 inches.  East of there...there was a quick decrease. 

Atlantic City had 6 inches; Mt Holly had 7 inches.

Monmouth County had the heaviest amounts...with 30 inches recorded in Long Branch, Keyport, & Red Bank.  Yonkers in Westchester had 30.5 inches.

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1997-98 was even worse than you think. We got 5" on March 22 which melted by noon. Actual winter only had half an inch. Season total was 5.5".

 

 

 

Lowest 15 year average is 20.11" from 1978-79 through 1992-93. I'm sure that surprises no one who recalls the 80s.

I can think of only 4 storms of note in the 80's: Jan 82 ( the same storm the Air Florida jet crashed into the Potomac ) April 1982 ( the biggest of the winter or many winters! ) Feb 1983 ( A very big one in which I gave a snowed in colleague my ham sandwich which  he gobbled down despite being an observant Jew, we figured God would make allowances ) And Jan 1987, which took people off guard after a spate of lame winters, leaving hundreds stranded on the GSP. There may have been a Thanksgiving storm in 88, 89, or 90, those years are blurred and in 1991 The Ledger ran a cover strory on whatever happened to winter?

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Guest Pamela

I can think of only 4 storms of note in the 80's: Jan 82 ( the same storm the Air Florida jet crashed into the Potomac ) April 1982 ( the biggest of the winter or many winters! ) Feb 1983 ( A very big one in which I gave a snowed in colleague my ham sandwich which  he gobbled down despite being an observant Jew, we figured God would make allowances ) And Jan 1987, which took people off guard after a spate of lame winters, leaving hundreds stranded on the GSP. There may have been a Thanksgiving storm in 88, 89, or 90, those years are blurred and in 1991 The Ledger ran a cover strory on whatever happened to winter?

 

There was a nice March snowstorm in mid March 1984 (a cold clipper with 6 to 10 inches).  The Thanksgiving storm was in 1989.

In interior northern NJ (especially the higher spots) there were too many other snow events to mention.

Huge snowstorm in southern NJ in late February 1989.

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  • 2 weeks later...

34.30" now.

Highest since 1882-83 to 1896-97.

great stats YH...it's been a fun ride except for a few years...snowfall for 11 of the last 15 years were either near or above average...one of the bad years had the biggest sleet storm I've seen and another had heavy snow in October...

Snowfall averages for five cities on the east coast...the averages start with the 1889-90 season so the ten year averages start from 1889-1890 to 1899-1900

decade.......................Washington.Baltimore. Philadelphia. New York. Boston

1889-90 to 1898-99..........25.7"..........24.5"..........23.8"..........35.8"..........53.5"*

1899-00 to 1908-09..........23.4"..........21.9"..........25.5"..........28.8"..........39.8"

1909-10 to 1918-19..........20.9"..........22.8"..........28.9"..........30.6"..........39.1"

1919-20 to 1928-29..........15.3"..........19.7"..........19.7"..........29.5"..........43.2"

1929-30 to 1938-39..........18.3"..........22.5"..........18.2"..........24.5"..........37.5"

1939-40 to 1948-49..........17.6"..........23.4"..........21.4"..........32.8"..........42.9"

1949-50 to 1958-59..........12.8"..........14.7"..........15.2"..........20.1"..........37.2"

1959-60 to 1968-69..........24.8"..........32.4"..........29.1"..........32.0"..........49.4"

1969-70 to 1978-79..........14.6"..........17.8"..........21.7"..........22.5"..........44.6"

1979-80 to 1988-89..........18.1"..........18.5"..........20.4"..........19.7"..........32.7"

1989-90 to 1998-99..........12.9"..........17.7"..........18.5"..........24.4"..........49.7"

1999-00 to 2008-09..........12.7"..........18.0"..........20.7"..........28.0"..........44.9"

2009-10 to 2014-15..........19.7"..........26.7"..........38.3"..........41.8"..........59.9" as of 3/22 six year average'''

NYC and Boston average went up with this season added...Washington/Baltimore and Philly average dropped a bit after this season...It's not officially over so some more snow will add to the totals...

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Most of northern NJ saw in the 20 to 25 inch range like NYC per the observers of the day...it was only until one got into CT (west of New London County) that the incredible snow amounts were recorded...46" at New Haven...50" at Middletown...50" (approx.) in the mid Hudson Valley at Albany.  Far to the south, Cape May saw but 10"...and parts of Sussex County saw as little as 12". 

This makes sense; as western & central New England being the focal point for the heaviest axis of precip...being just to the west of the sharp front separating easterly winds and maritime air from the arctic air west of the boundary and a north to northwesterly flow.

think u are wrong about sussex, most maps i saw had parts of north jersey in 3o plus. i saw plenty of pics and no way only 21 fell in nyc and even nws folks from upton think it was most likely over 30

 

https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A0LEVu6BQg9VjzMApvAnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBsa3ZzMnBvBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--?p=blizzard+of+1888+snow+map&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3Dblizzard%2Bon%2B1888%2Bsnow%2Bmap%26ei%3DUTF-8%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla&w=600&h=514&imgurl=icons.wxug.com%2Fhurricane%2Fchrisburt%2Fsnowdepthmap.jpg&size=66KB&name=snowdepthmap.jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wunderground.com%2Fblog%2Fweatherhistorian%2Fthe-great-blizzard-of-1888-americas-greatest-snow-disaster&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wunderground.com%2Fblog%2Fweatherhistorian%2Fthe-great-blizzard-of-1888-americas-greatest-snow-disaster&type=&no=1&tt=120&oid=5d8f402fa640f7d54e7dc2ab3d138c51&tit=Map+of+snow+accumulations+from+the+storm.+From+%E2%80%98Northeast+Snowstorms+...&sigr=13cn9geae&sigi=11j5nltvg&sign=10gl4r4ga&sigt=103vg5ole&sigb=135er7d4f&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

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recent years show a rise in snow depth totals...

max depth...winter since 1917-18...1888 had at least 22" on the ground after the March blizzard...1898-99 had at least 20" on the ground after the February blizzard...

26" in 1947-48

25" in 1995-96 LGA obs...

24" in 1960-61

23" in 2010-11

22" in 1993-94

21" in 2009-10

20" in 2002-03 LGA obs...

20" in 1925-26

19" in 2014-15

19" in 1982-83

18" in 1977-78

18" in 2013-14

 

days with at least 1"...

74 in 1993-94

67 in 1919-20

65 in 1947-48

64 in 2013-14

58 in 2010-11

57 in 2014-15 so far...

57 in 1917-18

56 in 1977-78

55 in 1995-96

54 in 1922-23

52 in 1960-61

 

days with 4" or more...

54 in 1947-48

48 in 2014-15

45 in 2013-14

45 in 2010-11

41 in 1960-61

36 in 1919-20

35 in 1995-96

31 in 1993-94

30 in 1977-78

29 in 1917-18

 

days with at least 10"...

33 in 1947-48

23 in 2010-11

20 in 1960-61

19 in 2014-15

16 in 2013-14

14 in 1995-96 LGA obs...

12 in 1977-78

..8 in 1968-69

..8 in 1993-94

..8 in 2009-10

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The NYC average since January 1991 is now 30.6 inches, the monthly averages since then are as follows:

 

October      0.1 - yes this is the first time NYC will have a numerical average in October

November   0.3

December   5.4

January       8.5

February   11.3

March         4.6

April            0.2

 

Yes I realize the monthly averages add to 30.4 inches it's rounding.

 

If there is no more snow until December 2020, God forbid, the new 30 year average for 1991-2020 would be 25.3 inches.

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