We's been robbed of winter..........

Yes, it was a very mixed up winter. It was one that had the meteorologists forget about Science and had them looking to the Big Guy for help in giving the weather.

I don`t remember it already.
It is spring to me.
One snow strom we shoveled the snow about three feet high and I thought mabe it would freeze and stay around for about a month or two but the whole thing melted in the twinkling of an eye.
Thats all I remember.
~Peace Glenna~

When the greater conceals the less: Once again winter hype hides the reality of seasonal snowfall on the East Coast:

Sherlock Holmes once noted to the unflappable Dr. Watson “in a crime scene…the greater conceals the less”.

Over the last few weeks we have heard the almost propaganda like media blitz of how this was “so tough in the Middle Atlantic States” or how “winter wary folks in cities like Philadelphia or Washington DC are”. AccuWeather and the Weather Channel’s hype of the winter season in the biggest media market in the USA (the I-95 corridor from Washington DC to Boston)…is well known. However, if we look a little deeper into this “record snowfall season” in cities like Philadelphia”, we find what we normally see in a season that has a lot of snow in the Atlantic States: A winter with a lot of snow is generally not a snowy winter.

Take NWS Philadelphia for example…were the winter fans at AccuWeather keep bellowing that 78 inches of snow fell this winter (3.5 times the normal amount):

From December 1st through December 18th…zero snowfall in Philadelphia. Then on December 19/20th, a record snowstorm dropped 22.5 inches of snow in Philadelphia. Then it did not snow again… until the last hours of the month on December 31(when a measly 0.9 inches of snow fell). In January, NWS Philadelphia reported just TWO DAYS that had any measurable snow: January 8th (1 inch of snow)…and January 30th (2.1 inches of snow). The entire month of January could muster only 3.1 inches of snow at NWS Philadelphia! Certainly monthly snowfall was nothing to write home about in the month of January in Philadelphia, PA. Then came February. While there was snow on 10 days during the month (totaling 51.5 inches for the month)…just TWO SINGLE snowstorms dropped 90% of the snow (one of February 5/6th and one on February 9/10th).

So the breakdown of snowstorms at NWS Philadelphia was like this:

December 19/20th – 23.2 inches
December 31st – 0.9 inches
January 8th – 1. 0 inchs.
Januery 30th 2.1 inches.
Febuary 2/3rd - 0.6 inches.
February 5/6th -28.5 inches.
February 9/10th – 15.8 inches.
February 15/16th – 1.0 inches.
February 25/26th – 5.6 inches

If what jumps out at you how Philadelphia had just a three big snowstorms all winter …your right! During Philadelphia’s “snowy winter”(78 inches of snow)…well 87 % of it (or 67 - inches) fell on just THREE occasions! Put another way…of the 90 days of meteorological winter …only 5 DAYS had snowfall of more than 1 inch! A quick check of other cities on the Atlantic coastal plain like NYC or Bridgeport would show similar results. It did snow a lot in Philadelphia and other locations in the Atlantic states this winter…but it was far from a snowy winter. 85% of the days from December 1st to March 1st featured zero snow from Washington DC to the Tri-State area.

Once again, in the rush to hype the less (the seasonal snow)… the greater ( the lack of snowy days) is concealed. Winter on the East Coast once again lived up to its reputation of a few really snow days…interspersed with vast stretches of sunshine and tranquil weather.

The greater conceales the less. Too bad Sherlock Holmes didn't work for AccWeather.

Sonya Baghdady is the perfect woman, yes sir- the perfect woman.

Ann Nyberg 1988 OMG! stunning, Janet Peckinpaugh same time .................gotta go

Don`t listen to them gal`s they watched the stepford wife`s one too many times!
~Peace Glenna~
...under pressure...?

This was a disappointing winter for me. The biggest snowfall I had was 9 inches back on February 16th. I hope next year is better and we get a few Noreaster's to come up the coast and get all of us in Connecticut.

Here we go again! Spring has not even officially sprung yet, and channel 8 is already downplaying the temperatures. 49 this afternoon on the shoreline???? My thermometer is reading 60!

Once again, your bias is really showing, channel 8.

Another gorgeous day! Too bad it was a work day. :( I soooooo hope that this means Spring is here! Winter sucks, and I am very happy it is definitely on the way out, if it isn't already.

Hey James, move up to Maine if you love it so much. When you do move, take the cold & SUCK we do get with you!

To : All Posters and Si

In my opinion this was a very interesting winter in Ct. I am amazed how this winter played out. I did not have high expections given the el nino.This winter delivered.I was very impressed with the Dec 20 near blizzard in Southeast Ct which delivered 1-2 ft of snow . Southwest Ct was the hardest hit overall with Bpt receiving a season total of 38.1 inches, 17-18 inches above normal. I was amazed with the snow in the Washington DC area which i was fortunate to see on Feb 9. I saw a snow depth of 24 inches. I also took another trip to Atlantic City Nj on Feb 27 and the bus stopped in ENGLEWOOD NJ AND I SAW THE 21 inch snow depth that they mentioned in New York City Central Park.

Si, i get your point they snow fell on only 3 occasions in Philadelphia.It really delivered . I know from experience that it usually happens this way in Philadelphia a few large storms and mostly misses. I agree this was not typical that they were so large. Usually there are a few more storms and they are in the 6-12 inch CATEGORY.

sI, I STILL THINK YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED THAT THIS EL NINO WINTER WAS AS INTERESTING AS IT WAS EVEN THOUGH I KNOW YOU ARE NOT A SNOW LOVER.


mJ VISITOR

I am very happy with this winter worldwide. I was the coldest winter since 1978-1979 in England. The coldest since 1963 in Scotland, almost 50 years. It was the coldest winter since 1978 in Nashville Tn. I also will note, i read on icecap that the 2000-2010 decade was the snowiest since 1968 in the northern hemisphere and satellites show global cooling since 2002.


I am so happy global warming is dead. Bring on Glabal Cooling

Mj visitor

You seriously need to get a life!

To:snow hater

I do have a rewarding personal life.


Observing the weather enhances it.If you are excited about the weather your life will never be boring. The weather is putting on a show for all of us. I also believe God is showing his majesty in all of this. Weather increases my faith in God


Mj visitor

I was a bit disappointed with this winter, as we here in Norwich did not get much snow. One good storm in December, and only a couple of small snows in Jan and Feb. Only one snow day, so the kids were disappointed to. We like to play in it.

Spring is here, almost, so now a different kind of fun, if the weather cooperates. Last year it was rain, rain, rain, chilly too.

I just hope we have a summer this year.

Shoreliner:

What killed me was that you can just see the anger in Gil/Mel that the mild sunny weather this weekend just keeps going. As hard as they try to keep the winter theme going…the weather just won’t cooperate (lol).

Remember late last week…they tried to say that just two days (Sat/Sun) would feature nice weather. They are so quick to try to end any weather that is not snow or cold (lol). Of course, the weather had a mind of its own (the low slowed down and is heading for the Lakes – typical spring pattern). Now it looks like much of the week will feature sunshine and mild temps. This steams them so bad - they keep saying “oh boy is the weather going to change late week”….give me a break, it’s going to RAIN. That’s what happens in humid temperate climates – it rains occasionally! (How do they think everything stays so green here for almost 8 months). I love the rain brings on the GREEN WAVE…the final crushing blow to the winter fan. Now, daily normals are rising so fast…that by next week the average LOWS are barley below freezing across the Tri-State area. So since they can no longer keep the negativity going with the cold or snow theme…they are going to tell us at every chance how “ awful rain” is (lol).

Why would anyone who likes snow/cold…choose to live in a lowland region at the margins of the mainland near 40 latitude facing a subtropical ocean? I can just see the look on their face when that old Bermuda High builds in the first time in April…they will be telling us about the “cool pattern” they see this summer for the East Coast (lol).

Enjoy the “weather show” Shorleiner…the last weeks of winter are as funny as it gets!

Another thing that cracks me up, Matt, is when they start talking about snow 8,000 miles away like they did last year! I'm like WTF!!!!!! You're right, Mel & Gil definitely need to consider a move North or West, because they're living in the wrong state!

Just wait until the temps hit 70 & they try telling us it's a little cool outside & we might want to take along a light jacket! :)

Si Visitor,


I understand the point you make concerning the relatively mild climate of most of Connecticut with the exception of Northern litchfield County Ct. I know this through my studies of world climates, maritime climates have fewer extremes of heat and cold, a shock absorber on the local climate. This can be seen comparing Midwest Cities at the same latitude as Connecticut. The midwest cities are about 8 degrees colder at the same latitude in January compared to the Connecticut cities. I don't care for the hype. I think it has to do with our Colonial history , hard New England winters comparing the New England climate to relatively Balmy England. I notice that Connecticut TV Meteorologist hype our Winters more that the New York City Meteorologists which includes relatively cold snowy Northwest New Jersey. The truth of the matter, Northwest New Jersey , Sussex County receives 40-50 inches of snow a year. This area holds it own with Northern Ct. They never hype the winters here.They say mild mid atlantic winter. I also noticed this in the fall foliage. I was told that the Ct fall foliage in Ct was the best in the world. I did something last Oct 24 2009 that i never did before . I took a foliage trip to the mid atlantic, northwest New Jersey , Pennsylvania and the Maryland Mountains including Washington DC. I found there foliage to be more brilliant than ours.

Si,I know you were bought up in the Northern Suburbs of Chicageo and you are correct. It is a more severe winter climate than the New York Metropolitan area, Mid Atlantic. I still found this winter interesting.

I never saw a person as unhappy as Gil when the weather map shows sunshine and 50 to 55 F temps across Connecticut.

They need to hype the local weather...otherwise people wouldn't tune in (lol).

As far as winter...pretty easy to take once again this year. It's Connecticut after all...we expect semi-mild winters. I would die if I had to live in the Midwest!

Matt,

A rain-o-rama! That's how Geoff described this weekend. 2 to 4 inches of rain, which if it where the other, I believe would have been in the ballpark of 2 to 4 feet.

I have a feeling that there are going to be many dejected winter fans tonight! LOL!!!!!!

Rain is starting to make the grass green...and it looks like the forsytha are ready to pop. Here come SPRING/SUMMER 2010!

Lets get a bet going on the first 70 F day!

The space shuttle goes up, the weather gets strange. The space shuttle puts another hole in the atmosphere when it comes down. The weather gets stranger, its usually crazy all over the world, after this happens. Watch what happens the next time we send a shuttle out into space.

Pappy Paint Patricks day.
A Green Clover for my Lover.
C-Lover!~Peace glenna~