Snowpack vs Torch

[bluewave]

I've just lost my appetite for snow. I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now.

Haha.Those piles are a big hangout for the seagulls now.

It's hard to believe you still have patches of snow up there.

But that's the way it goes from the North Shore to the South Shore.

[Alpha5]

Unlike most years here, the snow does not uniformly and easily melt away. Rather some icy chunks of once free falling dendrites inhabit the dips in the land and wedge themselves between rocks...refusing to go. The snowpack here continues to dominate on north facing locations and shaded areas.

Today I took a walk through the woods behind my house and essentially the snowpack is reminiscent of what you would fine in alpine areas during the summer.....melted in areas near the surface but of rocks, etc. but still intact and icy.

Cool stuff

[NorthShoreWx]

Unlike most years here, the snow does not uniformly and easily melt away. Rather some icy chunks of once free falling dendrites inhabit the dips in the land and wedge themselves between rocks...refusing to go. The snowpack here continues to dominate on north facing locations and shaded areas.

Today I took a walk through the woods behind my house and essentially the snowpack is reminiscent of what you would fine in alpine areas during the summer.....melted in areas near the surface but of rocks, etc. but still intact and icy.

Cool stuff

The sun rules this time of year. Where there is full sun the snow is gone. The neighbor behind (down the hill) still has his entire backyard covered by about a foot of snow (ice, really). I guess it is more sheltered than it looks (the hill runs down to the east from here). Some of my other neighbors have similar thick glaciers.

[A-L-E-X]

The sun rules this time of year. Where there is full sun the snow is gone. The neighbor behind (down the hill) still has his entire backyard covered by about a foot of snow (ice, really). I guess it is more sheltered than it looks (the hill runs down to the east from here). Some of my other neighbors have similar thick glaciers.

How does one measure snowcover in such a situation? Let's say you lived in that house-- would you report your snowcover as how much you have on your property o the average of the whole neighborhood? It's a subjective decision.

[Analog96]

How does one measure snowcover in such a situation? Let's say you lived in that house-- would you report your snowcover as how much you have on your property o the average of the whole neighborhood? It's a subjective decision.

I have always reported what I have on my property, but my property is fairly representative of the area.

[Alpha5]

How does one measure snowcover in such a situation? Let's say you lived in that house-- would you report your snowcover as how much you have on your property o the average of the whole neighborhood? It's a subjective decision.

I live in that situation. The majority of my property still has snow.....but the west and south facing sides are bare.

However, I have been measuring snowpack from the north facing (snow covered) side all winter, so for the sake of consistency, I'll continue to do that now, even though there is a massive difference in shaded/exposed areas.

[A-L-E-X]

I live in that situation. The majority of my property still has snow.....but the west and south facing sides are bare.

However, I have been measuring snowpack from the north facing (snow covered) side all winter, so for the sake of consistency, I'll continue to do that now, even though there is a massive difference in shaded/exposed areas.

Yeah, that sounds like the only reasonably objective way to do it. Just keep measuring where you've been doing it. It's probably the most "natural" place to measure anyway; a lot of the areas that lost snowcover sooner did so because of man's messing with the environment (cutting down trees, laying down concrete, asphalt, etc.)

[Guest Pamela]

Yup. That would be today. We made it to 2/28, but only a trace to begin March. There is still plenty around, but less than 50% coverage after yesterday.

My books closed the same...2/28 last day with measurable snowcover.

[Guest Pamela]

My rankings:

1) 95-96

2) TIE 93-94 and 10-11

3) 2002-03

4) 2004-05

5) TIE 2009-10 and 2003-04

DISTANT 6) 2005-06

Then I guess the other ones would be 1992-93

and 2008-09.

In last 20 years, I'd rank them:

1. '96

2. '05

3. '03

4. '11 (tentative pending balance)

5. '04

6. '10

7. '01

8. '94 (would rank higher if in Port Jeff and not Plainview)

9. '09 (quielty a good winter out here)

[Guest Pamela]

In last 20 years, I'd rank them:

7. '01

50" on the winter, including 3 major storms 12/30/00: 9.0"; 2/5/01: 7.7"; and 3/5/01: 13.3". Also a fairly cold winter.

[NorthShoreWx]

How does one measure snowcover in such a situation? Let's say you lived in that house-- would you report your snowcover as how much you have on your property o the average of the whole neighborhood? It's a subjective decision.

I pretty much go by "all that I can see". In other words, if my yard has snow, but the others around are all bare, thats less than 50% and its a trace. Likewise, if mine is bare for some reason but the rest of the block has snow...then its snow cover (presuming an inch or more). If there is snow cover, then the depth is the depth on my lawn in the same place where I measure new snowfall, which is in a flat open area. If that's a barespot for some reason (maybe the kids running over it) then I measure in a reasonable and hopefully representative place nearby.

Deciding the % of snowcover is a bit subjective, but the snowdepth is not.

So, if I lived in my neighbors house which is still surrounded by snow, I'd have reported a trace since 3/1 for the same reasons stated above.

FTR, the front of my house faces just south of due west. It isn't bad in the winter, but really bakes in the summer. I measure snow in the front yard. In the winter, there are some intervals of shade across the lawn. In the summer, shade is an unknown concept in front of my house.

[NorthShoreWx]

Overnight, the last of the snowcover melted off of my property. The neighbors still have some rapidly dwindling patches and there are still old piles around, but I'm down to zip. Yesterday's snowcover was a trace, todays is 0. I'm not impressed enough with the patches left around to call it a trace anymore.

[Analog96]

In last 20 years, I'd rank them:

1. '96

2. '05

3. '03

4. '11 (tentative pending balance)

5. '04

6. '10

7. '01

8. '94 (would rank higher if in Port Jeff and not Plainview)

9. '09 (quielty a good winter out here)

'94 ranks higher here, because a lot of the time you were getting rain, I was getting ice.

[Guest Pamela]

'94 ranks higher here, because a lot of the time you were getting rain, I was getting ice.

I measured 47" of snow in Plainview that winter latitude 40 degrees 47 minutes / about 30 miles due east of Central Park. It is my understanding that on the N. Shore of L.I. snowfall that winter was around 60". I don't recall too much rain in January...mostly ice and in the neighborhood of 10" of snow. February snow fall was over 20".

The winter ranks where it does on my list because I weigh total snowfall very heavily...all the winters ranked ahead of it were snowier...and ice storms don't do all that much for me. January 1994 certainly was a cold month though.

[Guest Pamela]

'94 ranks higher here, because a lot of the time you were getting rain, I was getting ice.

1993-94 was exceptionally snowy at Newark Field, with 64.5" of snow.

[ORH_wxman]

In last 20 years, I'd rank them:

1. '96

2. '05

3. '03

4. '11 (tentative pending balance)

5. '04

6. '10

7. '01

8. '94 (would rank higher if in Port Jeff and not Plainview)

9. '09 (quielty a good winter out here)

I'd have all of those in my top 9 out of past 20 with the exception of '09-'10 and '03-'04. I'd replace them with '92-'93 (#1 on my theoretical list) and '96-'97. The latter was a very warm winter but two monster storms and a good seasonal total (mostly because of those storms). It beats the frigid yet below average '03-'04 in my book. Down there you were in the overrunning zone for good snow that winter while it was below zero here frequently.

[rgwp96]

 found a big patch of snow in my town (butler nj )that still has not melted.   Its about 6 inches deep, 25 ft wide and 100-150 ft wide.  Its located behind our high school football field on top of a hill. I cant believe how much is still left consideing we had over 8 inches of rain fall this week.  and this was all natural snow, not dumped from other parts of the town.

[A-L-E-X]

I measured 47" of snow in Plainview that winter latitude 40 degrees 47 minutes / about 30 miles due east of Central Park. It is my understanding that on the N. Shore of L.I. snowfall that winter was around 60". I don't recall too much rain in January...mostly ice and in the neighborhood of 10" of snow. February snow fall was over 20".

The winter ranks where it does on my list because I weigh total snowfall very heavily...all the winters ranked ahead of it were snowier...and ice storms don't do all that much for me. January 1994 certainly was a cold month though.

I also rank high end 16+ snowfalls high and 1993-94 doesnt meet that criteria since the heaviest snowfall that season was only 12" or so.

My top 5 are 1995-96, 2002-03, 2010-11, 2009-10 and 1993-94 in that order.

[Alpha5]

One pile left

A bit of ice left on the pond...the pond has been covered since the first ten days of december

[gravitylover]

North facing refrigerators are still very well covered around here and Lake Mahopac is still 100% ice covered although I don't know if I'd go out on it anymore. Everything else is gone. It's mud season!!! Bring on the mosquitos

[LongBeachSurfFreak]

These big piles dumped down near the boardwalk are all that's left of the snow in Long Beach.

They are still sorta there as of an hour ago. Man made or not definitely the longest lasting snow piles I have seen here.