Vote for which epic failure was worse

[Deck Pic]

Through February 8th

2001-02: 43.2 degrees, 3.2" snow

2011-12: 43.2 degrees, 1.7" snow

Feel free to describe why you voted how you voted....If you voted for 2011-12, what would have to occur over the next ~6 weeks to change your mind?

Fozz Caveat:

Yes, we know 72, 97, 31, 49, etc sucked also...This is not meant to be an all encompassing, dispositive, scientific poll...It is meant to compare 2 similar recent winters

[Deck Pic]

FWIW, from 2/8 through the end of winter 2001-02 was a shutout for the whole region...I dont even think there was even a cartopper within 50 miles IIRC...And we were in a serious drought....March was up and down...around normal with a few arctic blasts to offset some mini-heat waves.....no snow....April was pretty epic for severe as many know....

[Sparky]

This one is better mainly for the unique Oct. 29 storm. I had 8 inches at this point in 2002 vs. 9 inches this winter so that would weigh in too. This winter doesn't seem to bother me as much as 01/02 did for some reason I am just enjoying the ease of it. I have worn short sleeve shirts most of the winter which is unheard of for me.

[MN Transplant]

Was not here in '01-'02, so I won't vote. 07/08 is the worst in my memory, but even that had a 2-3" storm on Dec 5.

[Fozz]

Probably 01-02. Reasons:

• here it was a shutout after Jan 19 as far as measurable snow (If this is only thru Feb 8th, then never mind)
  

• that winter didn't have the thrill of October snow
  

• fewer events that whitened everything
  

• a southern snowstorm in early January that added insult to injury
  
• I was 11-12 at the time, so getting no snow was much more painful to me as I was immature and it was the first winter I followed
  

And there was no need for a Fozz caveat. My weather memory before 2002 is faint.

[Deck Pic]

Was not here in '01-'02, so I won't vote. 07/08 is the worst in my memory, but even that had a 2-3" storm on Dec 5.

yes....I think you lived in Arlington at that time which was a bad spot on 12/5...I got over 4" here...but yeah...that winter sucked though 12/5 and 1/17 were better than any event this winter and 2/12 was cool too...I dont think expectation were high for that winter down here anyway with the strength of the nIna though seeing new England get storm after storm sucked

[North Balti Zen]

Whiffed on October snow, so that just adds to my irritation.

Voted for this abomination so far.

To redeem this winter, need one legit WSW criteria event with a region wide 4" - 8" snowfall.

Not betting on it happening.

[Deck Pic]

Probably 01-02. Reasons:

• here it was a shutout after Jan 19 as far as measurable snow
  

• that winter didn't have the thrill of October snow
  

• fewer events that whitened everything
  

• a southern snowstorm in early January that added insult to injury
  

And there was no need for a Fozz caveat. My weather memory before 2002 is faint.

I knew a post like

"1997-98 had 0.1" at DCA and January 1950 was 48.0 degrees whereas DCA already has 1.7" this winter"

was coming....so I anticipated and blocked it

[forkyfork]

i don't count the october storm toward my winter total

[Fozz]

I knew a post like

"1997-98 had 0.1" at DCA and January 1950 was 48.0 degrees whereas DCA already has 1.7" this winter"

was coming....so I anticipated and blocked it

Nah, I try not to act like that anymore, it's just annoying.

[MN Transplant]

yes....I think you lived in Arlington at that time which was a bad spot on 12/5...I got over 4" here...but yeah...that winter sucked though 12/5 and 1/17 were better than any event this winter and 2/12 was cool too...I dont think expectation were high for that winter down here anyway with the strength of the nIna though seeing new England get storm after storm sucked

Yes, I was down by the Pentagon for '05-09, so that hurt me all around (Feb '06 was especially lame). Was 2/12/08 the mixing bowl disaster?

[Deck Pic]

Yes, I was down by the Pentagon for '05-09, so that hurt me all around (Feb '06 was especially lame). Was 2/12/08 the mixing bowl disaster?

yes

[forkyfork]

jan 02 had a fairly significant interior snowstorm... i remember albany getting around 16". watching that happen was pretty depressing

[MacChump]

this one by far...hadn't hear of models in 2001, never tracked storms...ignorance is bliss...this season's complete lack of trackable events has been pretty, what's the word, sucky...

[mitchnick]

01/02 because 1) even though 99/00 was decent, 00/01 sucked big time w/PHl on N&E doing well, 2) 09/10 is recent enough I can remember it like it was only a few months ago, and 3) I'm getting older and these kind of years are easier to take having had the opportunity to live through so many

[Ian]

This is the worst winter ive seen since moving to the EC tho I guess it could be redeemed.

[WVclimo]

This winter hasn't seemed as bad to me. Getting the early-season event in October this year took some of the sting out of what was to come, unlike 01-02 when memories of the previous winter's busts were still fresh and it seemed like it would never snow again.

Also, I was living in Bethesda in '01-'02 so even though the warmth here has been atrocious this year, its still colder than what I experienced there that winter.

[H2O]

This one has sucked the suck more than it could ever suck. General lack of cold temps and no storms worth anything to watch. Model chaos seems worse but it could be that time has faded the sting from past years. What Mac said about ignorance is bliss is so true. I now know too much about weather and it stinks knowing things will keep sucking for some time.

[eurojosh]

This winter is worse. Not because it's worse, but because the proliferation of weather data, sources, and commentaries makes it easier to get sucked in, absorbed, and then $%#&ed.

"Life doesn't run on reality, it runs on the perception of reality."

[Lisse]

I was not here 01-02, and I'm still stinging from watching people up north post pictures of their snow while I stared out my window at rain.

[needbiggerboat]

Weather was irrelevant in 01/02...this year hasn't featured any impending blizzard bait and switch deals, so it really hasn't been that bad. Having marginal 1-2 inch events not pan out shouldn't be a huge source of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Plus there hasn't been a lot of ice or bitter dry cold.

[brad1551]

2011-2012 winter would be the worst out of those too. Even though this winter is not over, but I see no signs of any real snow for the rest of the winter. 2001-2002 winter followed the 02/03 40"in winter. Hopefully we can have that type of winter next year. If we do, this winter would be worth the bust for something similar like 2003.

[WinterWxLuvr]

2011-2012 isn't over yet.

[nw baltimore wx]

2011-2012 isn't over yet.

That's exactly why I voted for it.

[RIC_WX]

The models did a much better job depicting the carnage this time around. 10 years ago, there was always the prospect of the pattern change 10 days away. Most of this winter, it never really seemed like the game would ever be on.

For me personally it's a wash. We had more snow living in RIC 10 years ago from the memorable early Jan event (that melted completely in <36 hours) but at least perceptibly less warmth this time around living in JYO. And it hasn't been anywhere near as dry this time around...it pretty much quit raining altogether in 01-02, save for a few very isolated instances. Never seen a drought quite like that before or since.

[Ji]

both winters suck..no one is worse than the other although 01-02 had better chances in the Dec 25-Jan 20 window. Both winters had JB calling for a pattern change that never came

[Huffwx]

11-12, not even close.

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Tough call, especially since this winter isn't quite over even though we may well not get much if anything more.

With that caveat in mind, I would have to give the edge to 2001-02 right now. That was the first winter I was here in the DC area and it was consistently mild and very dry (I believe Zwyts mentioned the dryness too). So maybe the suckiness of that one sticks in my mind more because of that. Don't recall if it was much warmer or not that this one, but it was regularly above normal. DCA had one single freezing day (just barely, a 32 degree maximum), in late December I recall. We got some lame couple of inches event in mid-January, then a half-inch from an upslope snow shower sometime in February that made it this far east, for a grand total of about 2.5". That led into a hot and dry summer. Which itself was followed by the fabulous 2002-03 winter!

2007-08 has to be up there as well, but at least we got a bit more snow.

If we don't get more than a car-topper or "white rain" event the rest of this year, I'd then have to put 2011-12 at least tied with 2001-02, and probably just ahead.

Oh, and Ji, I also remember reading Bastardi constantly saying how the cross-polar flow of Arctic air was "just around the corner!" in '01-'02, it got really aggravating. Of course it never came.

[JamieOber]

jan 02 had a fairly significant interior snowstorm... i remember albany getting around 16". watching that happen was pretty depressing

Got 14-18 around here. What happened in DC? Rain? Any snow at all?

[JamieOber]

both winters suck..no one is worse than the other although 01-02 had better chances in the Dec 25-Jan 20 window. Both winters had JB calling for a pattern change that never came

Do you remember in late Dec 2001 JB was on NBC Nightly News and talked about epic cold for January east of the Rockies? I'll never forget that.