December 2025 OBS and Discussion

[CPcantmeasuresnow]

3 hours ago, bluewave said:

The snowfall measurement may not be that bad considering that both LGA and NYC warmed up quite a bit at the start of the precipitation.

So they had marginal temperatures for accumulation earlier in the event.

When the cold arrived the best banding and higher rates missed to the east of NYC to LGA. Southern and Eastern Queens into Nassau and Suffolk got into the better banding. 

Probably a case of local subsidence just NW of  the best banding and marginal temperatures for accumulation. 

EWR and JFK are much more aligned with local observations. There is only one observation near central park for 3.1 and that's from a local. A local weather station measured 3 in the park at 8AM yesterday while it was snowing moderately and did so for three more hours. If this was a one time thing you let it go and say who cares, it was probably 3.5 - 4 so they made a mistake, but it happens all the time.

It's not like Central Park has a history of accurate snowfall measurements. As you probably know the Central Park Zookeeper kept the snow measurements from 1992 until 2014. That period was terrible for measurements. Most famous were the under measurement during the January 1996 and Boxing Day blizzards of 2010. Both were anywhere from 4-6 inches short looking at all reputable local measurements.

Things improved with the Conservancy from about 2015-2018 but started to go downhill again around 2019 or 2020. If it was once in a while you let it go. When it's fairly constant you have to wonder what is going on.

Just from yesterday look at the LE from the local stations around CP and you have to figure somebody's off. Temperatures were marginal at all of the stations, and the precip amounts are identical so subsidence did not come into play, so it's questionable whether either would be the reason.

NYC .51 inches 2.9 snow

JFK .53 inches 4.6 snow

EWR .52 inches 4.1 Snow

LGA .53 inches 2.6 snow

[SACRUS]

 

Snow shower/flurries quickly pushing into PA

 

[bluewave]

1 hour ago, bluewave said:

It wouldn’t be the first low snowfall measurement there. I have pointed this out in the past with multiple other posters here. The actual measurement was probably closer to the 4.0” at Newark. Thanks for posting the video. It may have been Sam Champion last year showing closer to 1” too low in one of the events where he used his own measurement.

 

21 minutes ago, CPcantmeasuresnow said:

EWR and JFK are much more aligned with local observations. There is only one observation near central park for 3.1 and that's from a local. A local weather station measured 3 in the park at 8AM yesterday while it was snowing moderately and did so for three more hours. If this was a one time thing you let it go and say who cares, it was probably 3.5 - 4 so they made a mistake, but it happens all the time.

It's not like Central Park has a history of accurate snowfall measurements. As you probably know the Central Park Zookeeper kept the snow measurements from 1992 until 2014. That period was terrible for measurements. Most famous were the under measurement during the January 1996 and Boxing Day blizzards of 2010. Both were anywhere from 4-6 inches short looking at all reputable local measurements.

Things improved with the Conservancy from about 2015-2018 but started to go downhill again around 2019 or 2020. If it was once in a while you let it go. When it's fairly constant you have to wonder what is going on.

Just from yesterday look at the LE from the local stations around CP and you have to figure somebody's off. Temperatures were marginal at all of the stations so it's questionable whether that's the reason.

NYC .51 inches 2.9 snow

JFK .53 inches 4.6 snow

EWR .52 inches 4.1 Snow

LGA .53 inches 2.6 snow

 

[Jersey_Snowhole]

Glad we were able to cash in before this upcoming boring stretch of weather 

[[email protected]]

3 hours ago, SACRUS said:

20 / 8 off a low of 13.  Clear till around noon.  Near or sub freezing today (coldest of the next 7 days).  Some flurries or snow showers later to maybe whiten up the ground re coat the snow.  A tinge warmer on Tue to / above freexing low-mid 30.s  Moderation to and above normal Wed (low - mid 40s)  Near 50 / Thu with rain developing overnighg into a warmest of the week Fri (50s) and potentially near one inch of rain to melt the snow cover.  Looks like a brief shot of colder on this coming Saturday in an overall warmer than normal period through Christmas day.   Ridge center a bit west keeping the strongest warmth to our south and west but overall near normal the period after christmas to the end of the month with the very cold to the north and warmth just to the south sandwiching the area and a storm threat to close out the period between 30 - 31.

 

Another rainy New Years Eve!