It’s that time of year again: Snowfall Contract Season. Our Data & Stats Department has been hard at work preparing snowfall climatology reports for our clients so they have the most representative data available. However, this raises a good question: “What data is right for me?” Unfortunately, from region to region and client to client, this answer will change based on whether your contract is by the storm, by the inch, by the hour, or by the season.
One of our most common data requests during contract preparations are for 5-year, 10-year, or 30-year averages. As you may know, these numbers are going to vary from year to year, and in some cases vary drastically. We took a look at a number of stations along the I-95 corridor and found a similar & expected trend for each: 30-year averages will remain fairly steady over time, 10-year averages will fluctuate a bit, and 5-year averages can virtually be characterized as erratic and potentially detrimental to a contract or bid. For instance, below is a graph of what each average would have been in a given year (a rolling average). If you were to use only the 5 year average for this season or say in 2006-2007, you will be using a total 11-13 inches higher than their long term 30-year average.
So, while there is no way good way to answer which average is right for you, we are hoping this helps you understand how to better use the averages which are available. Here at WeatherWorks, we often advise against only using one single average and instead to use a full 10-year report or at least review multiple averages. This will provide a much better idea of how much snow to prepare for in your area over several years.
For more information about our most popular 10-Year Snowfall Climatology which includes 5, 10, and 30 year averages, or for more information about customized snowfall reports, feel free to contact our Data & Statistics Director Sam DeAlba at data@weatherworksinc.com.
