How will you remember this winter 2010/2011?

[A-L-E-X]

To Me,the 1993-94 winter is still #1 in my book with snow and cold and overall snowcover combined.The 12/26/1/27 period is obviously the #1 period for that time frame as well as the days with a 12+ inch snowcover.That will never be topped.But 1993-94 had snow/ice on my lawn for 90 consecutive days and on the side of my house until early April.I had 3 nights 0 or below and after the mid FEB warmup,it got cold again and lasted throughout March.I got over 60 inches of snow that winter.FEB 8 and 11th was the big events obviously.nothing like what we went through but still great.

It is like this past summer.We didnt have any stretches of record heat,no long 90 degree day stretches.it was just consistently hot with several heat waves week after week month after month.I had 48 days of 90+.End result was the hottest summer on record.While summer 1977,1993,1980,1999 and 2002 had longer consecutive 90+ degree days,they were not as hot overall as this past summer.

The problem with 1993-94 no big HECS.... it's number 5 on my list for winters I have experienced.

[A-L-E-X]

To Me,the 1993-94 winter is still #1 in my book with snow and cold and overall snowcover combined.The 12/26/1/27 period is obviously the #1 period for that time frame as well as the days with a 12+ inch snowcover.That will never be topped.But 1993-94 had snow/ice on my lawn for 90 consecutive days and on the side of my house until early April.I had 3 nights 0 or below and after the mid FEB warmup,it got cold again and lasted throughout March.I got over 60 inches of snow that winter.FEB 8 and 11th was the big events obviously.nothing like what we went through but still great.

It is like this past summer.We didnt have any stretches of record heat,no long 90 degree day stretches.it was just consistently hot with several heat waves week after week month after month.I had 48 days of 90+.End result was the hottest summer on record.While summer 1977,1993,1980,1999 and 2002 had longer consecutive 90+ degree days,they were not as hot overall as this past summer.

Hold on a sec bro... we did have 3 out of 4 days over 100 in early July and an extended streak of very hot (95+) days in early September It was my favorite summer lol.

[A-L-E-X]

They were probably both moderate events, and both were a bigger deal in Westchester than for NYC proper. We had 2" of snow followed by sleet and ice the morning of 2/2, then another wave with half an inch of solid ice the following night. Schools were closed for both days due to the extremely treacherous driving conditions from the icing. My snowpack reached 25" on 2/2; at that point, we thought we'd get over 30" on the ground since hope was still alive for the following overrunning event that eventually went on to whiff after giving OK/AR 2' of snow. It was basically all downhill from there with the exception of the isolated 2/21 snowstorm that dropped 8" here and 3" at Central Park.

The point was mostly about how similar Winter 10-11 was to Winter 60-61.

Winter 1960-61 was superior though. The Feb 1961 storm was bigger than anything this year and the cold that year was an authentic arctic outbreak with below zero temps. I agree that the general snowfall pattern was similar though. Although this winter might be more like 1947-48 in that regard.

[nzucker]

The problem with 1993-94 no big HECS.... it's number 5 on my list for winters I have experienced.

Yeah there was no monster hit for NYC in 93-94, just a number of solid storms. I still think I would prefer this winter to 93-94, if I remembered that year better since I was only six then. It's nice to have one event that really grabs you from your day-to-day life and makes you say "WOW;" the Boxing Day Blizzard certainly satisfied that criteria. That's why, for me, 09-10 was almost the equal of 10-11, despite having less consistent cold and snowpack: I saw a HECS in my hometown on 2/25 with 26", and that makes it all worth it. But this picture sums up what January 2011 was, deep snowpack and beautiful scenery all around NY:

[Chris L]

Winter 1960-61 was superior though. The Feb 1961 storm was bigger than anything this year and the cold that year was an authentic arctic outbreak with below zero temps. I agree that the general snowfall pattern was similar though. Although this winter might be more like 1947-48 in that regard.

December Blizzard was like the Feb 2-5, 1961 storm, though.

[A-L-E-X]

December Blizzard was like the Feb 2-5, 1961 storm, though.

Yeah, it was actually superior in NYC. But the coverage was smaller. Im wondering if Feb 1961 and Feb 1969 were both undermeasured in NYC as JFK recorded over 2 feet with both of them. There were even several hours of sleet tossed in..... could you imagine that? 24.1 inches of snow with an inch of sleet in between the layers of snow?

[A-L-E-X]

Im always going to consider this winter as the two headed monster-- Dec 26-27 and Jan 26-27 were both great for us and Jan 11 was only a couple hours away from making a triple headed monster lol. If that had happened, this winter would be at the top of the list. As it is, it definitely was better than last winter, although last winter was great also.

[nzucker]

Winter 1960-61 was superior though. The Feb 1961 storm was bigger than anything this year and the cold that year was an authentic arctic outbreak with below zero temps. I agree that the general snowfall pattern was similar though. Although this winter might be more like 1947-48 in that regard.

Yes, 60-61 was a better winter than 10-11, no questions asked. The February 1961 storm was a monster hit for all: 17.4" at Central Park and 22.4" at Dobbs Ferry. That was part of a great sequence of winter weather that included the JFK Inauguration Storm (9.9" at Central Park), another smaller snowfall, and a serious arctic outbreak with below-zero temperatures at NYC and 10 consecutive nights in the single digits or lower here in Westchester. We didn't have nearly as big a cold snap this year; despite all the fanfare about the cold weather, Central Park was only -2.4F for January, with the consistency of the cold surely overwhelming its severity. Central Park's minimum temperature of 6F would not be at all impressive had the past few seasons not been so pathetic for extreme cold.

[A-L-E-X]

The enduring snowcover and the frequency of snowstorms during the period of cold is what actually made this winter wonderful. Usually, when we get long periods of below normal temps, it's pretty dry. And it usually warms up between snowstorms so it melts-- neither happened this winter until the pattern finally broke.

The crazy thing is if we had just had a normal temp Feb we would have broken the snowcover duration record with ease!

[Chris L]

Yeah, it was actually superior in NYC. But the coverage was smaller. Im wondering if Feb 1961 and Feb 1969 were both undermeasured in NYC as JFK recorded over 2 feet with both of them. There were even several hours of sleet tossed in..... could you imagine that? 24.1 inches of snow with an inch of sleet in between the layers of snow?

My grandparents tell me about the big storms of 1947, 1961, and of course, 1996...

Very simlair totals in their respective locations of Northeastern New Jersey, Jersey City-Lyndhurst-Nutley, New Jersey locations.

My grandpa before he passed said that the '96 is the boss of them all for Nutley NJ, which he claims 30" has fell.

[Chris L]

Im always going to consider this winter as the two headed monster-- Dec 26-27 and Jan 26-27 were both great for us and Jan 11 was only a couple hours away from making a triple headed monster lol. If that had happened, this winter would be at the top of the list. As it is, it definitely was better than last winter, although last winter was great also.

January 11-12th... the one that got away, really. It have North Haven and Chesire CT 25-30 inch range of snow.

[A-L-E-X]

Yes, 60-61 was a better winter than 10-11, no questions asked. The February 1961 storm was a monster hit for all: 17.4" at Central Park and 22.4" at Dobbs Ferry. That was part of a great sequence of winter weather that included the JFK Inauguration Storm (9.9" at Central Park), another smaller snowfall, and a serious arctic outbreak with below-zero temperatures at NYC and 10 consecutive nights in the single digits or lower here in Westchester. We didn't have nearly as big a cold snap this year; despite all the fanfare about the cold weather, Central Park was only -2.4F for January, with the consistency of the cold surely overwhelming its severity. Central Park's minimum temperature of 6F would not be at all impressive had the past few seasons not been so pathetic for extreme cold.

Im thinking both Feb 1961 and Feb 1969 were undermeasured in NYC-- how did NYC get 17" in Feb 1961 yet JFK got 24.1"? Feb 1969 was worse -- 15" vs 24" at JFK Of course Feb 1983 was 18" vs 22" at JFK lol.

[A-L-E-X]

My grandparents tell me about the big storms of 1947, 1961, and of course, 1996...

Very simlair totals in their respective locations of Northeastern New Jersey, Jersey City-Lyndhurst-Nutley, New Jersey locations.

My grandpa before he passed said that the '96 is the boss of them all for Nutley NJ, which he claims 30" has fell.

The extensiveness of that storm was crazy good.... pretty much everyone was 2 feet + March 1993 would have been like that if it didnt hug the coast. and March 2001 of course.

[A-L-E-X]

January 11-12th... the one that got away, really. It have North Haven and Chesire CT 25-30 inch range of snow.

If that storm had been like what it was even just east of us in Suffolk County, the snowcover would have persisted through March-- regardless of how mild it was lol.

[Chris L]

The extensiveness of that storm was crazy good.... pretty much everyone was 2 feet + March 1993 would have been like that if it didnt hug the coast. and March 2001 of course.

Yeah, but the funny thing is, February 1961 is the king for duration, he told me.

February 2 to February 5th? That's crazy.

[Chris L]

If that storm had been like what it was even just east of us in Suffolk County, the snowcover would have persisted through March-- regardless of how mild it was lol.

And NYC would have broken the record; if they got another 18 inches of snow... by Jan 27th.... that is absurdity at its finest.

[nzucker]

Im always going to consider this winter as the two headed monster-- Dec 26-27 and Jan 26-27 were both great for us and Jan 11 was only a couple hours away from making a triple headed monster lol. If that had happened, this winter would be at the top of the list. As it is, it definitely was better than last winter, although last winter was great also.

All the storms were about equal for me:

12/26: 13"

1/11: 14.5"

1/27: 14"

The storm that NYC missed out on was actually the best for me as there was a beautiful deformation band that rocked SW CT and Westchester, but you were probably too far south to get into it. I know Central Park only got 9" with the 1/11 event, much less than the other two storms. Here in Westchester, these were three beautiful snowfalls but with rather pedestrian totals, not nearly as heavy as what some in NYC and NJ saw, or compared to what we dealt with in last February's Snowicane.

[A-L-E-X]

Yeah, but the funny thing is, February 1961 is the king for duration, he told me.

February 2 to February 5th? That's crazy.

Wow it snowed for 4 days in Feb 1961? It almost makes it worth it to have the snow season end early if we could have something like that lol. See-- that's the other thing-- no long duration day and night snowstorms this winter Jan 26-27 could have been like that if there wasnt the break in the afternoon or the mixing which we got. Actually, it would have topped Dec 26-27 without the mixing.

That Feb 1961 storm is starting to remind me of Feb 1920 which was another four day storm on almost the same days.

Is Feb 1920 ranked as a KU event?

[A-L-E-X]

All the storms were about equal for me:

12/26: 13"

1/11: 14.5"

1/27: 14"

The storm that NYC missed out on was actually the best for me as there was a beautiful deformation band that rocked SW CT and Westchester, but you were probably too far south to get into it. I know Central Park only got 9" with the 1/11 event, much less than the other two storms. Here in Westchester, these were three beautiful snowfalls but with rather pedestrian totals, not nearly as heavy as what some in NYC and NJ saw, or compared to what we dealt with in last February's Snowicane.

It's funny but the Jan 11-12 storm is sort of like the Jan 1961 storm as far as snowfall totals are concerned-- in both, NYC just missed out on double digit totals. I will forever remember the Jan 11-12 storm as the one where noreaster complained about getting only 6 inches of snow.

Queens got screwed even worse than NYC, which is amazing because one county to the east we were getting 10-14 inches.

[Chris L]

Wow it snowed for 4 days in Feb 1961? It almost makes it worth it to have the snow season end early if we could have something like that lol. See-- that's the other thing-- no long duration day and night snowstorms this winter Jan 26-27 could have been like that if there wasnt the break in the afternoon or the mixing which we got. Actually, it would have topped Dec 26-27 without the mixing.

That Feb 1961 storm is starting to remind me of Feb 1920 which was another four day storm on almost the same days.

Is Feb 1920 ranked as a KU event?

Don Sutherland's photo page says February 2-5th 1961, so it probably did snow for 4 days... H500 had a cutoff low in the flow for 1961, so I suppose its possible.

[A-L-E-X]

My totals were 18.5 - 9.5 - 16.4 in the three big storms.

[nzucker]

Wow it snowed for 4 days in Feb 1961? It almost makes it worth it to have the snow season end early if we could have something like that lol. See-- that's the other thing-- no long duration day and night snowstorms this winter Jan 26-27 could have been like that if there wasnt the break in the afternoon or the mixing which we got. Actually, it would have topped Dec 26-27 without the mixing.

Yeah, the timing of the storms sucked this year, except for closing school. All the heavy snow was at night, every time. It was actually a nightmare for my district, which had 6 snow days and 1 two-hour delay in the span of five weeks, very disruptive. The Jan 26--27 storm did have some snowfall during the day, but it was the lighter first wave which only deposited 3-4" for most of NYC metro.

That's why I liked the Snowicane: I was getting 3"/hr snows in the middle of the day, and then got to experience near-blizzard conditions at night as the storm wound to a close. Why couldn't we just have a storm like that every year?

[Chris L]

My totals were 18.5 - 9.5 - 16.4 in the three big storms.

Mine: 24" -8.2" - 15.5"

[A-L-E-X]

Mine: 24" -8.2" - 15.5"

That first one was definitely the best -- sort of like Dec 26, 1947

[MJO812]

This.

Solid snowpack for all January, 65mph winds in heavy snow during the 12/26 storm, .5" ice on 2/3.

And after all the miracles last year. 09-10/10-11 FTW

57 inches of snow last season and 63 this season

It will be known as the coldest and snowiest Winter I've ever experienced, there's no way I'll forget this one.

Agree. I was too young to remember the 95-96 winter.

Yeah, the timing of the storms sucked this year, except for closing school. All the heavy snow was at night, every time. It was actually a nightmare for my district, which had 6 snow days and 1 two-hour delay in the span of five weeks, very disruptive. The Jan 26--27 storm did have some snowfall during the day, but it was the lighter first wave which only deposited 3-4" for most of NYC metro.

That's why I liked the Snowicane: I was getting 3"/hr snows in the middle of the day, and then got to experience near-blizzard conditions at night as the storm wound to a close. Why couldn't we just have a storm like that every year?

It seems like all the powerful storms happen at night.

[A-L-E-X]

Yeah, the timing of the storms sucked this year, except for closing school. All the heavy snow was at night, every time. It was actually a nightmare for my district, which had 6 snow days and 1 two-hour delay in the span of five weeks, very disruptive. The Jan 26--27 storm did have some snowfall during the day, but it was the lighter first wave which only deposited 3-4" for most of NYC metro.

That's why I liked the Snowicane: I was getting 3"/hr snows in the middle of the day, and then got to experience near-blizzard conditions at night as the storm wound to a close. Why couldn't we just have a storm like that every year?

That really was the most awesome storm in how it developed and even though it wasnt officially a blizzard, it had more blizzard conditions than any of the others that season. How long did it last for you -- was it over 30 hours? I remember a heavy band of snow still dropping snow in the afternoon of the second day of the storm.

[nzucker]

Mine: 24" -8.2" - 15.5"

Wow, this must have been a very different winter for you guys in terms of how you perceived the storms. Boxing Day was such an all-time historical event for NJ with the 30"+ totals and 50mph winds, and the 1/27 event wasn't far from a HECS.

Here in the northern suburbs, the events were all fun but no storm came close to HECS criteria. Boxing Day was most dramatic for the high winds and low visibilities, whereas the January 11th event was the "quiet" snowfall. 1/27 had hammering sleet and also near whiteout conditions at the peak of the storm with the heavy overnight banding, so it was great too. But none of these storms were like a '96 for me whereas you guys can at least compare to that level.

[A-L-E-X]

Those 6 snow days you got were more than I saw in my entire elementary and secondary school career

[A-L-E-X]

Wow, this must have been a very different winter for you guys in terms of how you perceived the storms. Boxing Day was such an all-time historical event for NJ with the 30"+ totals and 50mph winds, and the 1/27 event wasn't far from a HECS.

Here in the northern suburbs, the events were all fun but no storm came close to HECS criteria. Boxing Day was most dramatic for the high winds and low visibilities, whereas the January 11th event was the "quiet" snowfall. 1/27 had hammering sleet and also near whiteout conditions at the peak of the storm with the heavy overnight banding, so it was great too. But none of these storms were like a '96 for me whereas you guys can at least compare to that level.

If that period of sleet had been snow Jan 26-27 would have exceeded them all -- in a bad NAO pattern lol.

[CAT5ANDREW]

I got 10.5 inches for the JAN 10-11 storm.Even though we did not get the huge totals they had in CONN,to get 3 huge storms in a months timeframe in our area is something we wont see again soon.The past 2 winters are certainly a once in a lifetime event.