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When I was a kid we didn't have snowmaking. We had skiing from Thanksgiving to Easter. Now it rains on Christmas Vacation and every single area still in operation has snowmaking...
OK, Chaz - I am going to "take you on here" (in of course a completely friendly manner) - I am assuming this area you are referring to is Burlington, Vermont (looking at your handle)? Well, I thought I would do a little research then on snowfall totals in Burlington -
This link (BELOW) shows the top 10 snowiest months - each month - per year. It is interesting.
You'll note that for December,
-a whopping 53.6 inches of snow fell in 2003, the 2nd snowiest December ever
-In 1995 - only 12 years ago - 44.0 inches fell for the 4th snowiest ever
-In 2000, 32.9 inches fell, also in the top ten.
-So since record-keeping, 2 of the 10 snowiest Decembers have happened in this decade which is only not even 3/4 complete! That is actually quite an amazingly high ratio of December snowfall. Furthermore, 30% of the snowiest Decembers have occurred in the past 12 years!
November saw 20.4 inches of snowfall fall in 2002, which was the 5th snowiest November ever. Here, of the 11 snowiest Novembers, 7 of them occurred on or before 1921 (6 of them on or before 1910), so there weren't a substantial amount of especially snowy ones from 1921 until the present.
Two of the 10 biggest early-season October snowfalls fell in the '00s...2000 and 2006...tied with the 1920s for the most represented decade on the top ten list (2 a piece).
April saw an amazing 19.1 inches fall in 2000 - only 7 years ago.
March!
The snowiest March in Burlington history EVER was March 2001, when a whopping 47.6 inches fell. 5 others on the top 10 list occurred in 1900 or in the 1800s.
February!
Why just this past February - Feb. 07 - saw the 3rd highest snowfall-in-February ever with 32.1 inches of snowfall. 2005...just 2 short years ago...saw the 6th most snowfall ever - 29.7 inches. The '50s and the '90s are the only other decades with as many Februarys on the list (2 each) as the current decade; at the rate the snowy Februarys are on though in the '00s, one more snowy February and the '00s will be the snowiest.
January would be your best argument for "snowier when I was growing up" as there haven't been any "top 10" snowy Januarys in some time. And, there is a healthy amount of 1950s - 80s on the list. I would argue that the stats show that the snow was just taking a break in December and getting ready to fly in Feb./March again though!
2000-01 had an enormous 122.5 inches / 01-02 had 56.2 / 02-03 had 83 / 03-04 had 94.7 / 04-05 had 89.7 / 05-06 had 70.4 / 06-07 had 94.6
In the '90s, things were up and down. You had years like 92-93 at 117 inches followed up by 93-94 at 107 inches, but then had 90-91 at only 42.5 inches and 94-95 at 60.5 inches.
Amazingly, in the 80s, there was not one month that cracked the triple-digit mark, and 88-89 saw only 40 inches fall. There was only one year that even made the 90s total.
The '70s were a good decade for snow totals, with many 80s, 90s, and triples mixed in, but you went from the extreme of 145 inches in 70-71 to only 39.6 inches in 79-80.
The 60s and 50s were up and down as well.
I guess what the stats seem to clearly show, and all I am saying, is that history shows what the current trends show as well. Snowfall comes and goes. The only consistent thing in Burlington is that well, a) it will snow, and b) it is consistently inconsistent.
Some periods are snowier. Some are less snowy. But that has been the case for decades. Not knowing your age, if you "grew up" in the late 60s/early 70s during the 65-79 year range, yes, you indeed were in a more snowy period than many. However, if you grew up in the 80s, then you grew up in a less snowy period. It just flucuates, and this chart clearly shows that it does.
I think, if anything, if you love snow, this decade (the 00s) has been good, as it has trended back snowier than the 80s were.
OK, Chaz - I am going to "take you on here" (in of course a completely friendly manner) - I am assuming this area you are referring to is Burlington, Vermont (looking at your handle)? Well, I thought I would do a little research then on snowfall totals in Burlington -
This link (BELOW) shows the top 10 snowiest months - each month - per year. It is interesting.
You'll note that for December,
-a whopping 53.6 inches of snow fell in 2003, the 2nd snowiest December ever
-In 1995 - only 12 years ago - 44.0 inches fell for the 4th snowiest ever
-In 2000, 32.9 inches fell, also in the top ten.
-So since record-keeping, 2 of the 10 snowiest Decembers have happened in this decade which is only not even 3/4 complete! That is actually quite an amazingly high ratio of December snowfall. Furthermore, 30% of the snowiest Decembers have occurred in the past 12 years!
November saw 20.4 inches of snowfall fall in 2002, which was the 5th snowiest November ever. Here, of the 11 snowiest Novembers, 7 of them occurred on or before 1921 (6 of them on or before 1910), so there weren't a substantial amount of especially snowy ones from 1921 until the present.
Two of the 10 biggest early-season October snowfalls fell in the '00s...2000 and 2006...tied with the 1920s for the most represented decade on the top ten list (2 a piece).
April saw an amazing 19.1 inches fall in 2000 - only 7 years ago.
March!
The snowiest March in Burlington history EVER was March 2001, when a whopping 47.6 inches fell. 5 others on the top 10 list occurred in 1900 or in the 1800s.
February!
Why just this past February - Feb. 07 - saw the 3rd highest snowfall-in-February ever with 32.1 inches of snowfall. 2005...just 2 short years ago...saw the 6th most snowfall ever - 29.7 inches. The '50s and the '90s are the only other decades with as many Februarys on the list (2 each) as the current decade; at the rate the snowy Februarys are on though in the '00s, one more snowy February and the '00s will be the snowiest.
January would be your best argument for "snowier when I was growing up" as there haven't been any "top 10" snowy Januarys in some time. And, there is a healthy amount of 1950s - 80s on the list. I would argue that the stats show that the snow was just taking a break in December and getting ready to fly in Feb./March again though!
2000-01 had an enormous 122.5 inches / 01-02 had 56.2 / 02-03 had 83 / 03-04 had 94.7 / 04-05 had 89.7 / 05-06 had 70.4 / 06-07 had 94.6
In the '90s, things were up and down. You had years like 92-93 at 117 inches followed up by 93-94 at 107 inches, but then had 90-91 at only 42.5 inches and 94-95 at 60.5 inches.
Amazingly, in the 80s, there was not one month that cracked the triple-digit mark, and 88-89 saw only 40 inches fall. There was only one year that even made the 90s total.
The '70s were a good decade for snow totals, with many 80s, 90s, and triples mixed in, but you went from the extreme of 145 inches in 70-71 to only 39.6 inches in 79-80.
The 60s and 50s were up and down as well.
I guess what the stats seem to clearly show, and all I am saying, is that history shows what the current trends show as well. Snowfall comes and goes. The only consistent thing in Burlington is that well, a) it will snow, and b) it is consistently inconsistent.
Some periods are snowier. Some are less snowy. But that has been the case for decades. Not knowing your age, if you "grew up" in the late 60s/early 70s during the 65-79 year range, yes, you indeed were in a more snowy period than many. However, if you grew up in the 80s, then you grew up in a less snowy period. It just flucuates, and this chart clearly shows that it does.
I think, if anything, if you love snow, this decade (the 00s) has been good, as it has trended back snowier than the 80s were.
Fascinating, EnjoyEP!
Yes - I came here in 1961 as a 5 year old. Those snowbanks were HUGE
I'd guess these data were compiled at The Burlington International Airport? When I lived near the airport as a kid, that airport was in Burlington. Then South Burlington became a municipality.
Now I live in Downtown Burlington, roughly a quarter mile from the lake. The airport's several miles inland.
I wonder if this has any meaningful bearing on the question...
OK, it seems everyone in their mother now notes that almost every city they live in across the lower 48 (and perhaps Alaska too), that, well, "my city / area(whether it be Milwaukee, Chicago, Salt Lake, Denver, Louisville, etc., etc., etc.)...doesn't get nearly the snowfall in the winter that it used to get." "Winters are so much more mild now that it just doesn't snow as much as it used to."
You hear this EVERYWHERE. About every seeming concievable area that snowfall occurs. On this forums all the time, but out in about all of the time too.
And my response: (Sorry for the candidness) - BULL.
I have yet...and I mean yet...once/ever...heard these claims backed up with any kind of statistic/fact, etc. I have not seen any credible facts ever that back up an area consistently (oh, say for the past 15 years) having a noticable fall off on snowfall averages or amounts in comparison to a similar chunk of time back.
My guess is that people always seem to remember extremes quite a bit more, and this is almost a form of the ol' "when I was your age, I used to walk 10 miles through 3 feet of snow up hill to school" syndrome. Also, I think snow removal equipment is better and more efficient now, making driving less of a headache (or noticable) in snowfall, and I think vehicles - which are used more than ever to travel even very small distances - are better than ever at navigating snow.
I just don't see any data/statistics/proof that it "snows less than it used to" in any area of this nation. I think it is just fuzzy memories at work.
Thus...if you disagree with me...and actually have stats/proof that your area snows less now "than it used to"...I would like you to post it here.
For example, if your area is, oh, say, Billings Montana, and you think "Billings just doesn't get the snow it used to", I would like to see snowfall totals per year from say 1950 until 2006 and see the noticable decline. Or something like that. I just don't think folks can produce it because I think - again - this just isn't true.
I know here in Milwaukee, an area that can sure get its snow, I hear it all of the time "we just don't get snow like we used to." Funny, as the city averages about 45-50 inches of snow, and just this past winter, it snowed over 60 inches! All everyone can remember here is a few relatively mild weeks that happened in late December, but they forget about the 10 inches that fell in early December, and the 8 inches that fell around Easter in mid-April!!! They also forget the winter of 2000 (that I surely don't forget) where a whopping 45 inches of snow fell - just in December - for the snowiest December in the history of Milwaukee. Fuzzy memories.
So folks, for those of you whose area "just doesn't get the same amount of snow anymore"...let's see some stats.
I think global warming has caused this to happen....just watch that documentary that "Al Gore" made...he isnt using just facts that he made up....he has graphs and scientific data to back it up......i thought it was kind of scary about what Al Gore documented on global warming in the world now.....and its weird what is happening in the world with the warmer temps every couple years but now after watching the movie i understand a little better....i am in Florida and of coarse it never really snows here but it's the end of October and we still havent seen a consistant week of temps in the 70's.....it was like 83 degrees today and hasnt even felt like fall one time this year yet
OK Synopsis - your response is exactly the type response that I was referencing! I just am highly skeptical that your area gets less snowfall now than it did when you were a child. Sure, some winters less, some more, that's how it works. But then again, you may be right...may I ask what city you reside in? Then we can look at the stats. And see.
I really think that when we are kids things look so much bigger to us, and snow is a big one.
In Milwaukee here, I hear people say this stuff all the time - "back then, we got so much more snow"...but if you look at the history, the facts just don't bear that out. Some winters are less snowy, some are more - that is how they've always been here though, at least since stats have been recorded.
But if you can produce some stats that show a large, significant trend, I will eat my words!
I hear you EP, especially about things seeming bigger as a kid. I am from Southeastern Oklahoma; midway between McAlester and Ada. I don't know where any really good raw data would be for Ada, it's a small city. I guess you could look at the stats for OkC, which is about 90 miles to the Northwest. I'll see what I can find out. But you do have a good point. We tend to think of our lives as a stable measuring stick. But for sure, my childhood was only 10 or 12 years in comparison to the big picture. It is definitely possible that during my childhood we had quite a bit of snow but that doesn't mean THAT was normal. Anyway, good topic; I'll see what I can find out, or if you know of some good places to start please be my guest.
I think global warming has caused this to happen....just watch that documentary that "Al Gore" made...he isnt using just facts that he made up....he has graphs and scientific data to back it up......i thought it was kind of scary about what Al Gore documented on global warming in the world now.....and its weird what is happening in the world with the warmer temps every couple years but now after watching the movie i understand a little better....i am in Florida and of coarse it never really snows here but it's the end of October and we still havent seen a consistant week of temps in the 70's.....it was like 83 degrees today and hasnt even felt like fall one time this year yet
To be honest: Global Warming is probably a normal phenomenon; not too terribly long ago, the 'green' crowd was terrified about Nuclear Winter.
Location: Somewhere along the path to where I'd like to be.
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Well, if someone can show me where I can find the stats for West Chester, Ohio - and not just Cincinnati - I'll show you. But for what it's worth, YES it has been warmer than usual in recent Winters. I don't necessarily need stats to tell me that. My memory serves me well enough, and I can tell you for a fact that since the early 90's, snowfall is nowhere near what it used to be when I was growing up. Granted, early in 1998 and again in the Winter of 2004-2005, we had major snowstorms that dumped over 18" on us in a 36-hour period. But overall, the snowfalls have averaged less than 3 inches, and in fact during the Winter of 2005-2006, I only saw about 9 inches of snow total for the season - and this is a place that averages 20" a season. Plus, that same Winter was one of the warmest I remember. We consistently had temperatures in the 60's throughout January and February.
So yep - I know for a fact the Winters have been warmer, and less snowy, than they used to be.
To be honest: Global Warming is probably a normal phenomenon; not too terribly long ago, the 'green' crowd was terrified about Nuclear Winter.
I agree. It seems that the earth has always gone through changes. Our past three winters have also been milder then at certain times, but we haven't really broken any records for warmth either.
As far as snowfall, we've had years that we've been totally dumped on and others where there isn't that much snow. So, that's how we got our AVERAGE snowfall of 30 inches per year. The winter of 1996/1997, it seemed like we got more then 100 inches of snow. It was ALWAYS snowing. So I guess we deserve a few years of only 20 inches of snow. If I had my way, we wouldn't have any snow at all.
Ninety per cent of our scientists say our planet, as a whole, is warming.
What I find peculiar is how the 10 per cent remaining get equal or more time on the media. What's going on there?
All I have to do is look at the average temp for my area for any time period, and note how many days fall above that average.
In my area it is really getting warmer.
I have also heard that there are people hired with sheaves of 'facts' whose job it is to go on public forums and spread disinformation and discourage an opinion which opposes that of the administration or the energy industry.
So, I work all day, come home and voice my opinion, and then get bombarded, on some forums with guys who are paid to fight with me and do not much else all day but research the minute data of opposing views.
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(in of course a completely friendly manner) - I am assuming this area you are referring to is Burlington, Vermont (looking at your handle)? Well, I thought I would do a little research then on snowfall totals in Burlington - 
