Types of winters you prefer

[PrinceFrederickWx]

These are two questions I'd like to get everyone's opinions on.

 

The first question is whether you prefer front or back-loaded winters. Front-loaded, to me, means the bulk of the snow falls in November or December, with February and March being a shutout and an early spring: 89/90 and 03/04 are probably good examples. Back-loaded, to me, means December shutout, with bulk of snow falling in February and March: 92/93, 14/15 and 06/07 (to a certain extent) are probably good examples. I see advantages and disadvantages to each: a front-loaded winter gives you a nice, snowy holiday season, but a back-loaded winter probably gives more opportunities to score during peak climo.

 

The second question is whether you prefer a winter with a HECS and little else (somewhat like 99/00, or 05/06, but this is kind of theoretical) or a winter with lots of small/moderate events but no HECS (kinda like 14/15, 13/14, and many winters of the 60's).

[CAPE]

Rather have majority of the cold and snow from mid Dec through Jan, maximizing the lower sun angle. Nothing better than a late December snowstorm with weak sun. Problem is this isn't New England, so we don't see it too often. Love me an HECS, but if the rest of the winter was going to be a dud, I would prefer one with more events of lesser magnitude. Of course we don't get to choose the weather, so we take what we get and enjoy that.

[Fozz]

Obviously I'd like a wall to wall winter with many moderate events and one KU (like 02-03 or 13-14), but those are relatively rare.

 

Between those choices, I'll take a back-loaded winter with multiple small/moderate events. I don't really care that much about March but I crave snow in February. Front-loaded winters are just anti-climactic to me. Also, getting just one good storm and nothing else leaves the vast majority of the winter feeling very boring.

[needbiggerboat]

I never want to know a day that's under 60 degrees

I'd rather have it 80, 90, 100 degrees !

[I-83 BLIZZARD]

09-10 was almost my perfect winter. Not too cold and 3 KU storms. Plenty of breaks in the weather between KU events. My only wish for that season would have been to see a couple more moderate events between the large storms. Perfect winter weather is a high of 30 low of 20 and plenty of snow with a few thaws in between. After March 15th I pray for a torch. Not into late season snows and cold after the 15th.

[Cfa]

I'd take a front loaded winter with a single storm on 12/24-12/25. By January I'm in spring-mode, so a back-loaded winter would be no good, they always manage to drag on forever.

An even milder version of 2012's winter would be ideal though.

[WinterWxLuvr]

Dec-mid Feb with numerous events, even if small.

And...winters that end by March 15 and never look back

[Lowershoresadness]

my ideal winter would start December 25th and end March 27th. The pattern would be 3 weeks of harsh bitter cold, with snow storms of various degrees of intensity, followed by a week and a half of sunny and 70. There would be 3 HECS. One in late January, one in mid February, and one in late March. There would be one GECS(galactic east coast storm) every 12 years. The Terps would win the Big Ten, in basketball, and national championship.

[EastCoast NPZ]

I'd prefer a winter that wasn't confined to a 3 week stretch from V-day to the first week of March.

[Bob Chill]

Since winters as an entire season can be hit and miss in the MA, I only prefer that we don't roast and rain. Don't care how or when. As long as it gets cold for long enough to feel like winter with a few decent events then I'm happy.

[weatherCCB]

Big blocking winters that deliver the goods.

Rare, but worth the wait.

09-10 being the most recent.

[StudentOfClimatology]

Truly front loaded winters are kind of anti-climactic to me, as Fozz said. I prefer a prolonged winter with deep phasers rather than washed out crap systems delivering 1-3" that sublimates in like 12hrs.

If it's between several 1-3/2-4" events and a big HECS, I'll take the HECS in a heartbeat.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

I been thinking about my own questions for awhile...

 

The answer to my second question is easy- I'd take a lot of small/moderate events over just one HECS. I was thinking about how many of the 3-7" events we've had in the last two winters and how much I enjoyed them. As long as there's enough to shovel and cover the grass and enough to build a snowman and go sleigh riding with my son, I'm good. In terms of actual enjoyment, there's little difference for me between 7" and 20", except more shoveling.

 

The first question is a little harder. Obviously February is our big month to score, and most of the good snows come between late January and mid-March, so you're more likely to get an above-average winter and more events if you've got a better pattern towards the back half. But on the other hand, I really like December snow for the holiday season- I always give extra weight to snow around Christmas and New year's no matter how little it is. I was too young to remember 89/90 but nowadays I'd love to see that kind of a December even if it meant giving up the rest of winter. So final vote is front-loaded- maybe I'm just fed up with 5 crappy Decembers in a row.

 

Some other good examples of each type of winter I found that were before my time:

 

Front-loaded- 1987/88: Major snows on Veteran's Day and Jan. 7-8 with some minor events in between, pretty much shutout after Jan. 26.

 

Back-loaded- 1941/42: total dumpster fire before the Mar. 28-29 HECS, less than 5 inches had fallen at BWI the entire season before that event.

[84 Hour NAM]

Front loaded with numerous events around the Christmas season

[EastCoast NPZ]

Front loaded with numerous events around the Christmas season

^^This.

 

I'd love to have the pattern we had for the 2nd half of Feb, but centered on Dec 21.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

^^This.

 

I'd love to have the pattern we had for the 2nd half of Feb, but centered on Dec 21.

 

Yup. Move the 2/14-3/7 period this year to 12/12-1/2. That would be an A+ winter.

[MN Transplant]

I grew up with a lot of small events and constant snowcover.  Now I want the monsters.

[North Balti Zen]

A monster storm somewhere in the Dec - Feb timeframe. Seasonal to warmish otherwise relative to normal. An end to the threats by no later than, say, 3/3 and then spring right on time after that.

 

Pretty much '09/'10 was ideal for me.

[Ian]

+5 to +10 would be sweet.

[yoda]

+5 to +10 would be sweet.

 

[Fozz]

Those of you who voted "One HECS, but nothing else":

 

If winter 2009-10 had ended right after the HECS on 12/19, and then torched all the way through, do you really think you would've been satisfied with it?

 

I reached climo by then, but I would've still been annoyed if the rest of the winter had ended up as a total shutout, enough to call it an average or "meh" winter.

[MN Transplant]

Those of you who voted "One HECS, but nothing else":

 

If winter 2009-10 had ended right after the HECS on 12/19, and then torched all the way through, do you really think you would've been satisfied with it?

 

I reached climo by then, but I would've still been annoyed if the rest of the winter had ended up as a total shutout, enough to call it an average or "meh" winter.

 

It would probably be a B-/C+ winter.  Just like this one.  (19" on 12/19/09, 22" in winter 14/15 at my location).

[North Balti Zen]

Those of you who voted "One HECS, but nothing else":

 

If winter 2009-10 had ended right after the HECS on 12/19, and then torched all the way through, do you really think you would've been satisfied with it?

 

I reached climo by then, but I would've still been annoyed if the rest of the winter had ended up as a total shutout, enough to call it an average or "meh" winter.

 

I would have been thrilled with it.

[Random Chaos]

Where is the option for multiple HECS?

[Ji]

A winter with one Hecs in Each month. I woukd sacrifice everything else. Just 3 storms a year

[87storms]

front-loaded and a hecs.

[EastCoast NPZ]

If I had only 30" of snow to "spend" for a year, I'd have it cloudy, < 32F, and snow 2" every day from Dec 17 - 31.  I'd walk away from that winter thrilled to death.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

Quite a turnaround... a few days ago the "small/moderate events but no HECS" was winning in a landslide... now the "HECS but nothing else" is almost caught up.

[StudentOfClimatology]

If I had only 30" of snow to "spend" for a year, I'd have it cloudy, < 32F, and snow 2" every day from Dec 17 - 31. I'd walk away from that winter thrilled to death.

That sounds kinda boring, tbh. No rates, lots of sublimation.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

If I had only 30" of snow to "spend" for a year, I'd have it cloudy, < 32F, and snow 2" every day from Dec 17 - 31.  I'd walk away from that winter thrilled to death.

 

If I had 30 inches I'd spend it as follows:

 

1 inch - Weekend after Thanksgiving

2 inches - Dec. 5

3 inches - sometime around Dec. 10-14

8 inches - Dec. 22

1 inch - overnight Dec. 24-25

15 inch HECS with 3-4 inch/hour rates, thundersnow, high wind warning level winds that also shafts SNE - Dec. 31-Jan. 1

 

The entire period from Thanksgiving week to New Year's would also have a sustained arctic outbreak with multiple record lows and lowest maxes, as well as a record for consecutive subfreezing highs. December would finish as the coldest month ever and snowiest December ever for all three airports.

 

Could be shutout the entire winter after that for all I care.

 

Good lord, I sound like Jebman lol