Grading winter 2010-11

[Voyager]

I thought about doing a thread like this later on into March, but anyway...

As of this posting we are 12 inches below the final seasonal total. I would expect that number to increase some yet, so we may get closer to it before the curtain falls on winter. The cold was pretty relentless, however, with only two brief mild spells since the first week of December. One on New Year's Eve/Day, and one last week. I would give a better grade if even one of the coastal events would have provided a double digit snowfall, but while we've received 30 inches so far this season, it was of the nickel and dime variety as not one single storm gave us more than 5 inches at a shot.

I won't grade months, but overall, I give this winter a C- in my area simply due to missing out on the big snow totals.

[greg ralls]

I guess I'd give this winter a B-. I guess it was a B+ for snowfall, but winter was pretty much confined to a 6-week timeframe.

[jwilson]

For me personally it will be different as only about 20% of my winter was spent back home in PHL. I got in on that one storm in December which gave me locally about 9". It was disappointing in some regards as the snow totals kept falling in local forecasts, but the NWS was basically good for the storm by predicting 8" as the minimum. It was also hard to watch NJ get pounded.

December: B-; the one storm was a moderate event, but elsewhere there wasn't much to talk about other than the crazy cold pattern.

January: C+; no snow back home for the week I was there--one okay storm near the end of the month produced our biggest total (4-5"), but other than that nothing of note.

February: C-; mixed bag--but after the first week or so of the month it was pretty boring. A bust a couple weeks ago hurts the grade, as well as the now arriving La Nina conditions.

Overall about a C. I missed nearly all the snow back in PHL, and back this way it has been nothing but nuisance snows (no storms like last year), so there's nothing worth talking about, really. Not memorable. However, the snow cover (at least in WV) had been constant from early December through early February because of the cold and little snows. Last winter in PHL it was three big storms and that was all, even though they really produced. So the only real positive from this winter was prolonged snow cover.

I'm ready for the cold weather to be over. I'm thinking no more accumulating snow of note this winter, but those freak storms at the end of March can always surprise you. I'm hoping things warm beyond this week and we just grab spring and then early summer come April into May. I was actually excited by the way February ended: Severe t'storms and a Tornado Watch out here.