North Balti Zen

It wasn't a good year, the "surprise" January storm that was 10-12" from DC West petered out up here around 5 inches, and we came up too north or south to really cash in on every other system. Baltimore proper has been a bit of snow loser in the area since it cashed all its chips in four years ago in the January 2016 storm/blizzard thing.

That's every day. A quick review of the last two pages in the long range thread tells me my bumping of the futility thread was well timed.

I mean, that was last year. And the year before. And the year before that. It stops being funny at some point, and is just...the new normal.

Seriously, see it.

He says that on June 1, too.

Not for nothing, but Galaxy Quest is probably one of the best movies ever made.

Maybe stop naming phantoms?

The dearth of clippers since I moved to the area in 2009 has been noticeable for me, I think. I grew up In Cincinnati and then central Ohio. For sure in Central Ohio in the 1980s we would pad seasonal snow totals with 1-3 inch events fairly frequently. I thought coming here from Memphis in 2009 I would see clippers again with some frequency, but they have been few and far between really over the 10 years I have been here.

Agreed - the 2-4 inch deals have been harder and harder to come by in the ten years I have been in the area - but looking at the longer record , that seems to comport with your memory from the 80s and 90s for this part of the area. Dovetails with @psuhoffman obs/thoughts in another thread wondering if the global climate trends are taking those events away from parts of the area.

On balance. In the Balt City/BWI area it has been boom or bust. Two historically awful snowfall seasons and one close to historically awful balanced out with two massive years and the Jan. 2016 save. It looks good on average, but those years have been anything but average on balance. I don't know if that fits the historic pattern for snowfalls in this part of the area, but for a decade it has been go big or go home to make it work out in general for inside 695 down to BWI over to Wes's area...

That means two of the top five worst snowfall seasons for BWI location have happened in the last decade. It has truly been huge boom or massive bust for BWI/Baltimore City area since I got here in 2009 - probably why I am constantly hunting big storms - the ones on the margins don't do much for this area of late...

I will go with you - that winter had some screwy measurements for having so little have fallen. If that is accurate, the correct top five worst snowfall years for the reporting locations are as follows: Here's where we are currently on 1/22/20: BWI: 1.8"/DCA: 0.6"/IAD: 2.9" These are the seasonal futility numbers to keep in mind as this horror show continues: BWI: .7 - '49/'50 1.2 - '72/'73 1.8 - 2011/12 2.3 - 2001/02 3.0 - 2016/2017 DCA .1 - '97/'98 .1 - '72/'73 2.0 - 2011/12 2.2 - '75/'76 2.5 - '30/'31 Dulles: 2.2 - '72/'73 2.6 - 2001/02 3.7 - 2011/12 4.4 - '80/'81 5.9 - '97/'98

Did that number get adjusted after 3/14/17? There was back and forth at the time about how much fell that day.

2016/17 was BAD (but not quite historic with the March 14, 2017 snow ruining the run at placing each airport on the list except for a 5th place for BWI) - that year ended up BWI 3.0"/DCA 3.4"/IAD 7.3" . Prior to that mid-March "save" in 2017 BWI had 1", DCA had 1.7" and Dulles also had 1.7".

BUMP: Here's where we are currently on 1/21/20: BWI: 1.8"/DCA: 0.6"/IAD: 2.9" These are the seasonal futility numbers to keep in mind as this horror show continues: BWI: .7 - '49/'50 1.2 - '72/'73 1.8 - 2011/12 2.3 - 2001/02 3.0 - 2016/2017 DCA .1 - '97/'98 .1 - '72/'73 2.0 - 2011/12 2.2 - '75/'76 2.5 - '30/'31 Dulles: 2.2 - '72/'73 2.6 - 2001/02 3.7 - 2011/12 4.4 - '80/'81 5.9 - '97/'98

20 - that caught me off-guard - wasn't paying attention to the forecast lows. Cold.

That’s literally not his politics or who he is.

His area and most of the balt city area did not do all that well last year - we’ve kinda gotten the wrong end of a lot of systems since January 2016. Which might make sense from a payback view as we maxed out in that storm and it feels like payback has been underway for awhile.

nice pics psu. Looks about same as what I found north of Lititz. Even up there it didn’t really cash in.

well done - a unicorn to keep an eye on and I made final table in perryville and chopped the 2:00 tournament. You all get gold stars for today.

I stand by my previous mersky observation.

The drive to the wildlife management area north of Lititz, PA was worth it. Got to walk with my dog about a mile and a half on a trail - no one around so she was able to lope along in the snow offleash and then the snowfall resumed as we ended the walk and it’s snowing now as I get lunch in Lancaster. at least I saw and spent some time in snow today, so worth the chase even if only an inch or two on the ground up here so far.

About to get out of car - north of Lancaster north of lititiz at middle creek wildlife management area - it has snowed here a little but not snowing currently - feels like it should be and radar says it should but nothing falling at moment. Maybe that will chance when Ellie (My pup) and I start walking. the fact that it isn’t snowing up here with returns overhead makes me think I mean indeed cursed...

Thanks! Got a very helpful PM from a poster in that area suggesting a state park to head for (Middle Creek). About to be on my way.

gonna make a run to Lancaster area - the pup is now 14 months old (yellow lab) - worth trying to find some decent snow and a path in the woods.