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My mother is guilty of this, and she grew up in the 80's which were notoriously not snowy around here, especially when compared to today's trend of greater than average snowfall.
Snow has definitely decreased in frequency, but the way older people talk about winters of the 70s and 80s you'd think the UK had a bona fide continental climate or something.
I don't know about the US, but this is what it looks like in Sweden.
Quote:
Difference in the mean of winter's maximum snow depth. 1990/91 - 2013/14 compared to 1960/61 - 1989/90. Large dot - statistically significant change.
- SMHI
Coincidentally, I live in the city with the highest decrease in snow depth in all of Sweden :P
Also, note that because of a 1.5'C increase in winter mean temperature in the mentioned data periods, whereby an 1.1'C increase in the shoulder months (November-December + March-April), it means the snow period is shorter. So, not only has the maximum depth decreased a lot, the snowy season has also shortened by a lot. Snow cover days has probably decreased by at least 30% in most places.
Well, you may be on to something, but, as a child, (aged 5 to 12) from what I and my friends and family who lived in the same region of the Pacific Northwest would say is that no, we do not get hte snowfall that we got when we where young. Now I am not saying that we used to have massive snowfall. But every year for at least two to three weeks we would have enough snow to be able to sled. Everyone in my neighborhood had a sled. I am not talking about those plastic pieces of crap either. I am talking about a twin railed sled with a wooden deck. Today, my kids and their friends don't know what that is. Never seen one nor rode one. Yet every winter we would have enough snow to justify sledding which amounted to between 6 to 12 inches of snow annually. And no, I have no reports to show the validity of my statement, but if there are records that date back 35 to 40+ years ago then you will have to just trust what I am saying to be true, or don't. I really don't care, my memories are mine and mine alone. But I do believe that winters around my area are not like they used to be when I was a child. Do I blame that in global warming? No, I think that the planet is cyclic and that it is just a change that is happening and will continue to happen. But I would like to see our winter return to what they where. Those where some great days, being outside sledding and getting into snowball wars with all the kids in the neighborhood. Not sitting in your room playing Xbox or PlayStation or whatever. We where outside for most of the day.
Unfortunately you're right, the Pacific Northwest doesn't get as much snow as it used to. These are season snow totals for Snoqualmie Pass, Washington (elev 3022ft 921m). The first 27 years, 1949-75 there were only 4 winters with less than 400 inches (1,016cm) of snowfall while the next 27 there were 19 winters with less than 400 inches.
I hope it's a cyclical thing, all I know for sure is it's 3 below zero (-19c) right now, too cold to get the sled out.
Snow is infrequent here, so if it snows anytime in the next 20 years, then I'll be able to say that it snows a lot more than it used to.
Looking at the mountains now, there are only a few small patches around the 5000ft mark, whereas some years will still see quite extensive snow around that level.
I don't know about the US, but this is what it looks like in Sweden.
- SMHI
Coincidentally, I live in the city with the highest decrease in snow depth in all of Sweden :P
Also, note that because of a 1.5'C increase in winter mean temperature in the mentioned data periods, whereby an 1.1'C increase in the shoulder months (November-December + March-April), it means the snow period is shorter. So, not only has the maximum depth decreased a lot, the snowy season has also shortened by a lot. Snow cover days has probably decreased by at least 30% in most places.
In Norrbotten it has been snowing like it used to, for two days.
Have you had the same weather in Västerbotten?
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 hear what you're saying, and agree for the most part. Statistically speaking, Vancouver gets more snow than it used to, and yet, everyone says they remember show lasting for weeks or even a month at a time. People's memories are faulty. Every year my mom tells me she has never seen a month as wet or cold or drier snowy or hot as she just had (and she's been at the same spot for 50 years). There's no question that some things have changed, but when we look at the stats of claims of -30 for two months (like my mom claimed used to happen), it never happened when I look up the stats.
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