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Well the winter of 2013-2014 is just about at its half-way point. Meteorological winter is considered to be December, January and February; although winter weather will often linger into at least the first half of March. Based on the definition of meteorological winter the mid-point would be January 15th. With this in mind, I was curious how this winter "stacks up" so far. I'm sure anyone can tell you that this winter is off to a fast, very active start; all areas in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have already seen several snow and ice events along with outbreaks of brutal cold. In the tables below I have compiled some temperature and snowfall data (through January 10th, 2014) comparing this winter to last year, and also to average. Even just a quick glance at the data below will prove just how cold and snowy we've been so far this year. Also, when looking at the data, keep in mind that last year worked out to be a fairly 'average' winter.
The temperature chart below shows just how cold the start to this winter has been. Many cities were several degrees below average in November, then several ups & downs lead to a near average December. Finally, the first 10 days of January have averaged well below normal, with the 'invasion' of true arctic air into the area. Also, take note of how many days had low temperatures below 10 degrees so far this year, compared to many cities not seeing this at all last year.
Now moving on to what many are probably the most interested in reading about... snowfall amounts so far this year. The table below indicates that nearly all areas in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are currently running well above average for snowfall to date (through January 10th, 2014). In fact, a few locations such as New York City and Philadelphia have seen over 200, even 300 percent of their year-to-date, average snowfall! Philadelphia only needs an additional 2.2" of snow to be at their average for the entire season! At this point, it is almost a certainty that Philadelphia will finish the winter of 2013-2014 above average in the snowfall department, and after speaking with our long range forecasting expert, many other cities also have a very good chance to see this as well. Keep in mind that climatologically, many East Coast cities have the highest average monthly snowfall in February.
*Cover image courtesy of Wiki Commons*
