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NNE Summer 2013 Thread


klw

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The other day I ran across an interesting piece at FIS entitled “On Maximum Average Snow-Depth at the Mount Mansfield Stake” that is certainly related to NNE weather.  I’m not sure if the article has been discussed here or not, but I figured I’d pass it along anyway and add a few comments.  We’ll often throw out a number of 74” as the average depth at which the Mt. Mansfield snowpack at the stake tops out each season, since that’s where the green “average” snow depth peaks on the commonly used SkiVT-L plot:

 

16JUL13A.jpg

 

But as the FIS article points out, that’s really not the average peak for snow depth at the stake each season; it’s actually up near 90”.  It’s the same concept that I brought up in a post back in February when I first made a similar plot using the snowpack data for our location in Waterbury:

 

12-13snowpack.jpg

 

The multi-season averaged data for snowpack depth on that plot (green shaded area) tops out at around 20 inches in early March, but in any given season, the snowpack at our site typically tops out at around 30 inches.  That value can be seen at the bottom of the second to last column in my updated winter weather summary table below:

 

Waterburywxsummarytable.jpg

 

Compared to just getting that mean value for maximum snow depth shown in the table above (which only requires seven points of data), creating that average snowpack plot (green shaded area) to get the peak from it, is actually much more demanding.  One needs snowpack depth for every day of every season (well over 1,000 pieces of data at this point just for my location), and it was only after this seventh season of snowpack data that I finally decided to start putting one together.

 

The plot is quite visual though, and it’s the representation that most people see with respect to the Mt. Mansfield snowpack data set, so it’s not surprising that the 74” peak of the green area is often thrown out there as the average max for snow depth on Mt. Mansfield.  Even having seen the difference between the two types of averages for peak snow depth in my own data, I’m sure I was still using the 74” number (or at least had that number in my head) with regard to the average peak for snowpack on Mt. Mansfield.  It took the FIS article, and an actual number (88.3”), to really dislodge that for me.  I think the confusion is at least in part an issue of language; one value is the “mean of the peak”, or maximum, snowpack depth, and the other is the “peak of the mean” snowpack plot.

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Great table - I find this kind of data fascinating. (Of course, since I keep lots of the same info, I have to say that!) Your data highlights some interesting differences between your area and mine, especially the inverse relationship between total snowfall and SDDs:

.............Waterbury...New Sharon....NS/Waterbury

Snowfall (7 yr)..160.0"......94.7"......59%

SDDs (6 yr)......1,522......1874........123% Only in 10-11 did Waterbury have more SDD, though 09-10 and 11-12 were close.

Max depth (7 yr)..28.9".....29.9"

Virtually identical, but lots of noise. Waterbury was tops by 12"/12.5" in 06-07 and 10-11, while New Sharon was ahead by 14"/16" in 07-08 and 08-09. The other 3 years we were within 1".

Methinks the fluff factor is far better in VT. For my snowfalls of 2" or greater, which make up 85% of my total snowfall, I've averaged LE ratios almost exactly at 10:1 over the 7 years. 08-09 came in near 12:1 and both 06-07 and 09-10 were only about 8.5:1. The earlier winter had several IP episodes, especially on St.Patties, while the late Feb mashed potato fest (10.7" and 2.68" = 4:1 - yuck) killed 09-10 ratios.

Edit: Just noted that events >2" also were 85% of your total, last winter only.

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Only got up to 82F at the house yesterday.  I was surprised it wasn't higher given how hot it was down 'in town' on the valley floor.  No complaints though, lol.

 

On these hot days, I'm very thankful to have this traversing our property:

 

1331762330_fdeb056f49_z.jpg

 

How I wish I had one of these on my property. 

 

I'd spend all day building dams and then busting them.  All day.

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Only got up to 82F at the house yesterday.  I was surprised it wasn't higher given how hot it was down 'in town' on the valley floor.  No complaints though, lol.

 

On these hot days, I'm very thankful to have this traversing our property:

 

1331762330_fdeb056f49_z.jpg

 

That is awesome, A nice cool pool

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The other day I ran across an interesting piece at FIS entitled “On Maximum Average Snow-Depth at the Mount Mansfield Stake” that is certainly related to NNE weather.  I’m not sure if the article has been discussed here or not, but I figured I’d pass it along anyway and add a few comments.  We’ll often throw out a number of 74” as the average depth at which the Mt. Mansfield snowpack at the stake tops out each season, since that’s where the green “average” snow depth peaks on the commonly used SkiVT-L plot:

 

16JUL13A.jpg

 

But as the FIS article points out, that’s really not the average peak for snow depth at the stake each season; it’s actually up near 90”.  It’s the same concept that I brought up in a post back in February when I first made a similar plot using the snowpack data for our location in Waterbury:

 

Is this accurate at the end of May?  Didn't Mansfield get hit by the memorial day weekend snowfall?

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