tamarack

Given what I boldfaced, that A+ for 95-96 seems odd because of all the pack-destroying rain events. It did have loads of snow - the 138" was tops by 30" in our 13 winters at Gardiner - but it was only 5th for SDDs. I haven't tried to apply my rating method on those 13 years, but if I did, I'd guess no higher than B/B+. Looking at the continuing period of meh wx (since the April 2024 paste bomb), I noted that both last winter and the current season had no snow forecast ranges that extended above 12". First time we've had consecutive winters with such modest forecasts and it's very doubtful there will be any warned storms before 2026-27. Also, only 3 warned events this winter and last. Only 15-16 with 2 had less. We finally had a strong storm but other than a few IP to start, it was all rain. The 19.6" storm in March was fun but had only 0.77" LE and little wind, a modest storm that had fabulous dendrite formation. Looks like this will also be only the 8th winter in which pack failed to be sustained thru March 31. Unless we get a snowy surprise, my rating will probably be a bit lower than what I proposed upthread.

When driving at night and trying to stay alert, I've found that the warm liquid effect hits more quickly than caffeine. Not a cold-coffee fan, so Pepsi or Mt Dew is usually my choice.

Back to the midgets here. After the Jan 25-27 fluff bomb we were 31% over the average YTD. The 7 weeks since are just over 50%, and falling.

We had forced air at our back settlement house in Fort Kent. We'd turn down the thermostat when we would be out of state visiting family. When we returned and turned up the heat, the furnace turned on and off a half dozen times in about a half hour while the air warmed up the walls/furniture and such.

My memory may not be accurate, but it recalls the cooldown being the 2nd half of the month. Today and tomorrow will be AN, maybe enough to push the current +4.3 to near +5. Not sure we get any serious AN warmth rest of the month, though I think it finishes 1-2° AN. March 1-3 were way BN but since then all but one day (13th, 0.4° BN) has been AN, with 8-10 being +18-20.

Look on page 1 of this thread for the link to send a PM.

The farm country in central Aroostook is closer and that area has some Midwest-type blizzards. (Not this year so far, however.)

I've occasionally done the 10 readings for individual storms but doing it for pack depth in a place like Maine with snow atop snow would resemble the physicist's uncertainty principle - all that tromping thru the snow affecting the depth. I place the stake at the same spot in our garden plot and stay away from it, to avoid that affecting. I suppose if one could separate the 10 spots by 50+ feet and avoid old tracks during the next measurement . . . Too complicated for me. Pack grew to 13" this morning, back to 11 now.

Forecast language included "1 to 3 feet, life-threatening conditions". We got 10.3" of 6:1 heavily rimed flakes with temp mostly <20° and strong wind. Almost nobody in New England had a lower total. Great storm, great season, tall pack (Farmington co-op depth went from a trace in late January to 56" in March) but at our Gardiner home the Superstorm was less than spectacular.

3.4"/0.25" here, patches of blue and trees are emptying. The high ratios continue. Long term here it's very close to 10:1 while seasons have ranged from 12.4 down to 7.1, but this snow season is currently at 14.2. Without the Jan 25-27 fluff (19.6" with ratio 25:1) it would be about 12:1, still AN. We'll reach the Ides with only 0.71" precip (March avg 3.71") as BN continues to rule. Maybe Mon-Tues 1-2", would bring the month closer to the average. (Would likely push the Sandy River to bank full, maybe higher if ice jams form.)

Jeff's first 18" event was 9.5" more than here and he's 4.2" ahead since Jan 31. Other than that, we're running about at climo, with the foothills about 15% higher than LEW. As for summer, we had some hot days, including only our 2nd official heat wave on August 11-13, but as climate is warming our convective SVR seems waning. Last year we had but 5 days with thunder, 3 fewer than any other year and 1/3 of average. Also haven't had significant effects from a TC since Floyd in 1999 or a real rain and blow since Bob.

We were in PA for a family reunion when the mid-20s morning hit on May 18, 2023, but somehow we avoided serious damage. Our quinces and apples generally have peak blossoms in the May 15-25 period and last year they were right on time. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't - 19-25 had potentially over 100 hours of sunlight but that week had less than 30 minutes in total, and the average maxima was 50.6, which was 16° BN with nearly 3" of cold RA. The poor pollinators were absent for the most part until long after blossom peak, so fruit set was awful for the quinces and 2 of the 3 apples, barely reaching mediocre for the 3rd. Those few fruits had all the nutrients, however, for some of the biggest and nicest we've grown (though few and far between). 2010 was a different disaster, with Feb/Mar/April way AN (all 3 our mildest here) and blossoms were peaking by May 8-10. Then 11-13 had minima 23 to 26 and killed essentially every blossom, also torched the new growth on ash, maple, even some oak. The trees set new buds and shoots but used a lot more energy than in a normal growing season.

The 2002 Christmas night storm was forecast 8-12" here and verified at 1". Belgrade Village, less than 10 miles southeast, had 8", parts of AUG had 15" and GYX 18", their biggest on record until Feb 2013, still in 3rd place.

2001, 2007, 2020, 2024 averaged 35" after the equinox. Doesn't last nearly as long, but quite wintry. Add 1982 for the most "wintry" April storm for the Northeast in the past century or longer.

We were taking our daughter to PWM for her flight to PHL, so we'd have missed even if we tried. (And the snow in PHL and Harrisburg canceled her flight. She and a couple dozen fellow 'refugees' are overnighting in the secured section of the airport, and will catch the 5:20 AM flight to DCA thence to PHL, probably on a 2nd airplane. Fortunately, she had no checked baggage.) Sandy River was up thanks to yesterday's warmth, but nothing serious. If we get an inch-plus at 50° on Monday, could be some excitement. Ice cover should still be thick and solid, and a 3-mile jam formed from Farmington Falls to the head of rapids in New Sharon last December during ice-in.