[DarkM1]

How much snow does the Hartford area get in the wintertime? I'm no stranger to snow as I grew up in Upstate NY where we routinely expect 2-4 feet of snow from December through April. However, I really hate the snow and living in the Philadelphia area where snowfall is infrequent(10-20 inches a year) has spoiled me. I'm moving to Hartford in June and I am wondering if the winters are more similar to Upstate NY where it's very cold, grey skies, and permanent snow that stays all throughout the winter. In Upstate NY you can expect to shovel your driveway daily, for example. Are Hartford winters milder? Does the snow melt away soon after it falls(within a few days)? Are most winter days overcast or sunny? How sunny is Hartford throughout the year? Thanks in advance!

[kidyankee764]

I'm no weather expert but every winter is different. This past winter was mild where most snow only stayed on the ground for a day or two. We only had one or two big storms. Some winters are particularly gray and depressing where snow sticks around for several weeks.

I'd guess Hartford is somewhere between Philly and Albany when it comes to total snowfall.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by DarkM1

How much snow does the Hartford area get in the wintertime? I'm no stranger to snow as I grew up in Upstate NY where we routinely expect 2-4 feet of snow from December through April. However, I really hate the snow and living in the Philadelphia area where snowfall is infrequent(10-20 inches a year) has spoiled me. I'm moving to Hartford in June and I am wondering if the winters are more similar to Upstate NY where it's very cold, grey skies, and permanent snow that stays all throughout the winter. In Upstate NY you can expect to shovel your driveway daily, for example. Are Hartford winters milder? Does the snow melt away soon after it falls(within a few days)? Are most winter days overcast or sunny? How sunny is Hartford throughout the year? Thanks in advance!

Hartford is colder than Philly; spring arrives later. Much less snow than upstate NY, but it varies a lot winter to winter. Much more winter sun than upstate NY.

[7 Wishes]

I would say pretty much in between Philly and upstate NY. The Albany area averages 60-70 inches per year, places north and west of there get considerably more. Hartford averages about 40-50 inches per year. However it lowers dramatically just a little further south towards the Long Island Sound (i.e. towards New Haven) where the averages are in the 20-30 inch range, even if you live about 20-30 miles south of Hartford you'll have a lower annual snow total.

[Cambium]

Where is "upstate" NY?


Answers in bold

Originally Posted by DarkM1

How much snow does the Hartford area get in the wintertime?
Hartford Normal snowfall per winter is 40.5"
Syracuse is 123.4"
Philly is 22.4"


In Upstate NY you can expect to shovel your driveway daily, for example. Are Hartford winters milder?
Yes


Does the snow melt away soon after it falls(within a few days)?
Depends on the winter or the pattern.
In 2014 there was a record number of days that had at least 10" snow on ground. (30)
In 1994 there was a record number of days that had at least 1" snow on ground. (82)


Roads are ok very next day or even 6hrs after a big snowstorm.. No big deal. It's not the south.


Are most winter days overcast or sunny?
In general winter is more cloudy then sunny, but sunnier than "upstate" NY.


How sunny is Hartford throughout the year?
About 2500 hours of sun a year. Same as Minnesota and Alabama. More sun than "upstate" NY, less sun than Georgia.

I started a thread with a bunch of climate maps and graphics in case you all are interested..


Average length of winter, see criteria. Hartford more winter days than Philly, Less than "Upstate" NY








https://twitter.com/Climatologist49/...492864/photo/1


https://twitter.com/NWSBurlington/st...584384/photo/1

[mels]

Much less snow than upstate NY and none of that winter gloom nonsense. We have brilliant sunshine on the regular all winter long.

[hvexpatinct]

Snowfall in Hartford is comparable to the Albany/Hudson Valley area. Nothing like Syracuse/Rochester/Buffalo. Snow removal is also nothing like it is in NY though and the Hartford area does tend to shut down over an amount of snow that would be a total joke in WNY.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

Snowfall in Hartford is comparable to the Albany/Hudson Valley area. Nothing like Syracuse/Rochester/Buffalo. Snow removal is also nothing like it is in NY though and the Hartford area does tend to shut down over an amount of snow that would be a total joke in WNY.

Huh? I've lived in the area for 9 winters, and I've only seen this happen twice--the 22"+ storm in Jan 2011 and the 32" storm in Feb 2013. Snow removal in the Hartford area tends to be excellent. City of Hartford itself under Mayor Segarra--maybe a different story.

[NewJeffCT]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

Huh? I've lived in the area for 9 winters, and I've only seen this happen twice--the 22"+ storm in Jan 2011 and the 32" storm in Feb 2013. Snow removal in the Hartford area tends to be excellent. City of Hartford itself under Mayor Segarra--maybe a different story.

schools do shut down more frequently than they used to in the Hartford area, however. Sometimes now, even the threat of snow can lead to school cancellation, a late start or an early dismissal.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

Huh? I've lived in the area for 9 winters, and I've only seen this happen twice--the 22"+ storm in Jan 2011 and the 32" storm in Feb 2013. Snow removal in the Hartford area tends to be excellent. City of Hartford itself under Mayor Segarra--maybe a different story.

I agree. Schools will shut down because the school boards do not want any liability issues but businesses are usually open or only slightly delayed opening. Our town, Glastonbury, I believe only had one year, 2014-2015, where students had added almost all the allowable days for snow at the end of the school year. Schools have to be closed by the last day of June and in 2015 they ended a day or two before then. Still highways were pretty much opened so people could get to work. Stores and restaurants did not really close either, but if you stayed home and watched the news, you would have thought the world had ended. Jay