Tioga County Snow Season (Pittsburgh, Scranton: real estate, rental, car registration)

[hse_tech]

When does it start snowing up there? I am coming up on November the 1st and would like to have my family moved in up there by the end of November before the winter gets too bad.

[North Beach Person]

It could snow tonight there. Or this could be a winter when there's no snow and it just gets cold.

World Climate: N41W077 - Weather history for travel real estate and education

I hate being facetious with you but that is what sometimes happens. Several years ago there was a stretch of 2 or 3 years where there was no snow of any amount there. The ski slope was making snow but that was it. There were signs all along RTE 6 saying "Pray For Snow" for the tourism industry (snowmobiling, mostly).

You'll find deer hunting with a bit of snow on the ground is much better, by the way.

To get your PA hunting license you'll need a car registration (maybe they take a rental agreement/deed now) and your Texas Hunter Safety card or a hunting license from Texas to show.

[ki0eh]

It's variable even within the county but typically there is snow on the ground much of the time (not all) from mid-to-late December to mid-March. Tioga County in general gets less snow than Potter (Potter has higher elevation and catches the lake snow which is the most consistent snow generator in the interior Northeast), and the high plateau belts in Tioga get more snow than the low plateau. The eastern Cowanesque Valley in particular is a snow shadow area and it can go all year without a skiable/snowmobilable snow although it most certainly had plenty last year.

[wanneroo]

I have found it depends on the year.

I would say from here on out snow could happen and you will probably see the first winter precipitation by Nov 15.

For instance, the winter before last(09-10) it was cold but little snow. I think there were only a few snowfalls that required me to plow. All of the big snow storms happened down in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and in PA, Pittsburgh for instance had record snowfall. So it was funny to go down to those places and it looked like Siberia and then up here in January for instance there was actually bare ground. I scratched my cross country skis up because there was hardly anything to ski on and I complained about not having enough snow to ski.

And then last year around Christmas it started snowing and pretty much snowed for the next 3 months. I only skied one time because every day I was either snow plowing, snow shoveling, snow raking and snow blowing. Got so bad I had nowhere else to push the snow with plow, so I got out the tractor and created a 30 foot wide 12 foot high hill pile of snow. At the end of March the snow on the property was still up to my waist and higher in drifts. Then in April and May we had 20 inches of rain and suddenly it was hot in May. NO spring to speak of.

Other years are more in between. One thing I have noticed is we are far enough from the lakes to avoid the lake effect snow and often the Atlantic coast storms are far enough east we miss them. So while Scranton may get a foot of snow we might get an inch or two.

It usually snows last in April, however it can be below freezing up through the end of May.

Typically you should expect to see snow on the ground from Thanksgiving to March. It can get to -20 here at night.

Last month we got 10 inches of rain, average is 3-4 inches. If it keeps raining like this, when winter comes that will be snow instead and it will be a snowy winter.

Also I think a part of it depends where you live. I live up above Wellsboro and I visibly catch more snow up here than down in that valley.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

I hate being facetious with you but that is what sometimes happens. Several years ago there was a stretch of 2 or 3 years where there was no snow of any amount there. The ski slope was making snow but that was it. There were signs all along RTE 6 saying "Pray For Snow" for the tourism industry (snowmobiling, mostly).

I remember some locals talking about that, I think that was back 7-9 years ago.