[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Yankeerose00

I hope you are right, Snowman. I'm disappointed with the snowfall. This is kind of my first winter here. I moved here at the end of Feb. last year. I was hoping for a lot more snow. So far January here has been just like January in Virginia!

Patience grasshopper.
You'll see plenty of snow if you hang around CT for a few years. I'm very happy that temps were not "normal" this past Monday, because if they had been normal.................................Ugh.

[Cambium]

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by Yankeerose00

Noooooo! This is like a cruel joke! I lived in VA for 4.5 years. Only ONCE did we get decent snow that stuck on the ground for a week. That was December of 05. The next biggest storm after that was last February the day after we moved! Now I'm hearing they are getting more snow and we aren't? They got more snow than us just this past Christmas. I get to hear my cousin gloating about it.
This is not normal right? Normally we get more snow than this don't we?

There is precedent. In the winter of 1979-80 NY City as well as Bridgeport got just under 10" of total snow for the winter, while Norfolk, VA got their all-time total of just under 50". Lots of snow storms simply stayed south.

Originally Posted by wavehunter007

Here are some averages across Virginia (I/m not sure where you lived) and Connecticut/Tri-State area:

NWS –Dulles/Washington DC…20.8 inches.
NWS – Roanoke, VA…20.3 inches.
NWS- Lynchburg, VA…15.6 inches.
NWS - Richmond, VA…12.1 inches.

As compared to a few stations in the Tri-State area…

NWS – Windsor Locks, CT…44.8 inches
NWS – NYC (Central Park)…22.5 inches.
NWS – Bridgeport, CT…24.8 inches.
NWS – Islip, Long Island…22.1 inches.
NWS – Atlantic City, NJ …13.5 inches.

Actually, Central Park and Bridgeport (Islip only started as a weather station in 1986) used to average at or slightly over 30 inches of snow (just under 30 for NYC, just over 30 for Bridgeport). And Windsor Locks just under 50. While it may sound like "global warming", none of the souther locations you mention have gone down (in fact, Dulles went up, it used to be about 18 inches). Find an old World Almanac or something from about 30-40 years ago that lists average snow totals and you'll see this.

In what little I have been able to find on this phenomenon, it seems to have to do with Northeast stations (generally being more "accustomed" to snow than the south) being pickier about how it measures snow than they did in the past. They tend to measure several locations and average them, where southern stations tend to just measure one. And Central Park used to measure on grass, but they now measure on blacktop at the zoo, which actually lowered their average a couple of inches once they started this (around the time they automated the weather station, in the 80s I believe). Some web sites take the entire 131-year average for Central Park, which brings it up to about 27 inches or so. The 22" reflects the "zoo era" for lack of a better word.

Unlike other weather criteria, no "instrument" is used to measure snowfall other than a plain ruler and there's no major uniform "method" used nationwide by the NWS.

So while I think the Tri-State area's average snowfalls are closer to VA than to VT or ME, it's still more "in between" than it might seem.

[wavehunter007]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

There is precedent. In the winter of 1979-80 NY City as well as Bridgeport got just under 10" of total snow for the winter, while Norfolk, VA got their all-time total of just under 50". Lots of snow storms simply stayed south.



Actually, Central Park and Bridgeport (Islip only started as a weather station in 1986) used to average at or slightly over 30 inches of snow (just under 30 for NYC, just over 30 for Bridgeport). And Windsor Locks just under 50. While it may sound like "global warming", none of the souther locations you mention have gone down (in fact, Dulles went up, it used to be about 18 inches). Find an old World Almanac or something from about 30-40 years ago that lists average snow totals and you'll see this.

In what little I have been able to find on this phenomenon, it seems to have to do with Northeast stations (generally being more "accustomed" to snow than the south) being pickier about how it measures snow than they did in the past. They tend to measure several locations and average them, where southern stations tend to just measure one. And Central Park used to measure on grass, but they now measure on blacktop at the zoo, which actually lowered their average a couple of inches once they started this (around the time they automated the weather station, in the 80s I believe). Some web sites take the entire 131-year average for Central Park, which brings it up to about 27 inches or so. The 22" reflects the "zoo era" for lack of a better word.

Unlike other weather criteria, no "instrument" is used to measure snowfall other than a plain ruler and there's no major uniform "method" used nationwide by the NWS.

So while I think the Tri-State area's average snowfalls are closer to VA than to VT or ME, it's still more "in between" than it might seem.

I think the snowfall at stations around the Tri-State area have nothing to do with “global warming/cooling”…they just represent the normal snowfall that the prevailing weather conditions create. Also, keep in mind…any data point like average snowfall/temp/…etc is really just an average of the extremes. I have been actively working with NWS sites at work for many years (part of environmental/demographic data sets)…and to my knowledge the seasonal snowfall at locations like NWS Bridgeport (actually Stratford) has only changed a few %. There has been record setting seasons like 1995/1996…and seasons with less than 10 inches of snowfall. The numbers really just represent the wild swings (lol).

From what I have read...in the 1960’s and 1970’s several NWS stations moved out of the cities to the growing number of airports. In fact, at some locations the seasonal snowfall actually went up because the more rural locations of airports as opposed to the older NWS downtown sites. This was the case at Hartford/Bradley. The old NWS office in Hartford (Branard Field) actually recorded less snow than the more rural Bradley Airport up in Windsor Locks. This has been the case up and down the metro I-95 states from Richmond to Boston.

As far as climate and snowfall…I think Connecticut is not quite “in between” Virginia and VT /ME. Most location north of central Massachutess gets three times more snowfall than most locations in Connecticut/NYC area. Once you get into parts of northern Vermont/Maine…more than 120 –inches a year are common…far greater than the down in CT/NYC/LI.

Anyway...the low this weekend will shoot off the VA Cape....and head out to sea. The next chance for a signifcant snowfall looks a bit far off at this point. In fact, we really have just about 5 weeks or so for winter to get the snow guns going...after March 7th or something the odds of a big snowfall start falling fast in the Tri-State area.

[DawnMTL]

Contrary to the forecasts on last night's news (a bit of light snow and some squalls), the ground here is absolutely covered in the white stuff.

It started here rather early, just before 8.30am, and hasn't stopped. It appears to be about an inch of accumulation so far, and it looks really pretty. My dog loves it; I don't love walking him in it (it's slippery in spots where the snow has covered some ice) but thankfully we have a fenced-in backyard.

I wonder if it will keep going all day and what the total accumulation will be.

It definitely has "that January feeling" for this ex-Montreal chick.

[andthentherewere3]

So much for the light snow shower forecast. We got 2-3" of snow here, and an early school dismissal. The roads are really bad. I think it's clearing up now, though.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

So much for the light snow shower forecast. We got 2-3" of snow here, and an early school dismissal. The roads are really bad. I think it's clearing up now, though.

Seriously??? I would go outside and measure the accumulation but that involves actually going OUT.

Where in CT are you, fellow potato lover?

[andthentherewere3]

I kid you not, I am right this minute eating the last of those potatoes for lunch!

I'm in upper Fairfield County. It's going to be a surprise for some parents, because stations are not reporting all the school dismissals/kindergarten cancellations.

[DawnMTL]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

I kid you not, I am right this minute eating the last of those potatoes for lunch!

I'm in upper Fairfield County. It's going to be a surprise for some parents, because stations are not reporting all the school dismissals/kindergarten cancellations.

HA!!!! I love it!!! I'm happy (yet surprised) when there are leftovers too.

re: the stations not reporting!

[andthentherewere3]

The early dismissal reports are just now appearing for our area, but weren't earlier, and I checked all the stations. So morning and afternoon kindergarten parents were not informed at my school. I know a few parents who were not as lucky as me, I just happened to see the bus outside, an hour early. Anyway, the snow reports are now saying Ct. gets a break this afternoon, with snow squalls later. And freezing temps tonight, making travel hazardous. The roads will be very icy.