By now you've probably heard plenty of rumors about the upcoming winter - "the farmer's almanac says"..."I saw on facebook that"... "the caterpillar was really dark"... Next week, all the hear say will either be proved or disproved as our full Winter Outlook will be released. If you are a Storm Alert or a Certified Snowfall Totals™ client that signed up prior August 22nd, watch your inboxes on or around October 15th for the all important forecast. Some facts about the winter have already come into focus however, which we'll touch on below.
Similar years to the expected pattern this winter have been cold! Winter seasons that correlate well with this year are 1976-77, 1977-78, and 1993-94. These years all featured below normal cold, but snowfall is still in question. While 1977-78 featured some epic blizzards that buried New England in feet of snow, 1976-77 featured average snowfall for most areas with no blockbuster Northeast snow storms. 1993-94 adds to the complexity as that winter exhibited an extremely sharp north to south gradient in seasonal snowfall, with a difference of 83.1 inches between Boston, MA and Washington D.C! Meteorologist Mike Mihalik has more about what we're watching in the short WMBC-TV clip below starting at 1:45 min:
In next week's Winter Outlook, we'll cut through the chaos of these analog years and provide as much detail as scientifically possible. Look for monthly breakdowns, first snow potential, and if any period in particular is favorable for "The Big One." Again check those inboxes on or around October 15th for the latest!
