Interesting find: Much of midwest seeing increase in snow

[michsnowfreak]

WIth tomorrow/tomorrow nights snow system causing the debate seen every year at this time (how much qpf will be wasted from non-accumulating daytime snow?), I decided to start googling around a few things about snow ratios.

 

As often is the case with google, I came across some stuff that was completely off topic but led me to find some VERY interesting data to say the LEAST for our region.

 

This first figure shows the overall change in snowfall from 1930-2007 (and this is  not even accounting for the insane totals seen since 2007). It is the rate of how much snowfall is increasing or decreasing per year.

 

 

 

Now THIS one almost blew me away. SE MI is ground zero for seeing the most substantial increase in snow to precipitation ratio. This is NOT ratio as in how fluffy or wet a snowfall is...this is the ratio of how much winter precipitation is falling as snow and how much as rain. Southern MI, ESPECIALLY SE MI, is seeing a substantial increase in snow vs rain events, while many other regions are seeing an increase of rain events

 

 

Im sure the data is not fool-proof, but its interesting nonetheless.

[Harry]

WIth tomorrow/tomorrow nights snow system causing the debate seen every year at this time (how much qpf will be wasted from non-accumulating daytime snow?), I decided to start googling around a few things about snow ratios.

 

As often is the case with google, I came across some stuff that was completely off topic but led me to find some VERY interesting data to say the LEAST for our region.

 

This first figure shows the overall change in snowfall from 1930-2007 (and this is  not even accounting for the insane totals seen since 2007). It is the rate of how much snowfall is increasing or decreasing per year.

 

 

 

Now THIS one almost blew me away. SE MI is ground zero for seeing the most substantial increase in snow to precipitation ratio. This is NOT ratio as in how fluffy or wet a snowfall is...this is the ratio of how much winter precipitation is falling as snow and how much as rain. Southern MI, ESPECIALLY SE MI, is seeing a substantial increase in snow vs rain events, while many other regions are seeing an increase of rain events

 

 

Im sure the data is not fool-proof, but its interesting nonetheless.

 

 

The 30yr snowfall average here has been steadily increasing since the 60s. The 30yr seasonal snowfall average ( assuming the data is correct ) from 1930 - 1960 was about 38" inches here. Anything prior to 1948 is not official so yeah that number may be off per GRR.  Ofcourse the period between 1920 and 1960 saw the lowest averages ever seen going back to the 1880s and prior. I have known that the averages in S.MI has been going up but that was it. Nice to see ( or have a better idea )  what the trends are across the rest of the country as well.

 

GRR had a great write up about the snowfall trends ( GRR area ) back in the winter of 08-09. Per them snowfall has increased inland and decreased closer to the lake. They also mentioned the long term trends back to the 1800s and thus how snowfall averages were higher as well back in the 1800s/early 1900s and then had a big drop off during the 20s/30s/40s etc and the increase in recent decades.

[michsnowfreak]

The 30yr snowfall average here has been steadily increasing since the 60s. The 30yr seasonal snowfall average ( assuming the data is correct ) from 1930 - 1960 was about 38" inches here. Anything prior to 1948 is not official so yeah that number may be off per GRR.  Ofcourse the period between 1920 and 1960 saw the lowest averages ever seen going back to the 1880s and prior. I have known that the averages in S.MI has been going up but that was it. Nice to see ( or have a better idea )  what the trends are across the rest of the country as well.

 

GRR had a great write up about the snowfall trends ( GRR area ) back in the winter of 08-09. Per them snowfall has increased inland and decreased closer to the lake. They also mentioned the long term trends back to the 1800s and thus how snowfall averages were higher as well back in the 1800s/early 1900s and then had a big drop off during the 20s/30s/40s etc and the increase in recent decades.

Yup. You and I have discussed it numerous times that plain and simple snowfall (BTL and DTW) has been increasing, so its good to see it backed up in this study (which took into account several factors other than simply first order station snowfall stats).