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Philadelphia snowfall after a warm December


uncle W

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Last year I made a post on how NYC hardly ever gets a great snowy winter after a warm December...I used 30 years for examples and the average snowfall was close to 10" below normal...This year I looked at Philadelphia and found similar departures...NYC got 26.1"(minus missed measurments) of snow desite a warm December...But it wasn't a block buster winter unless you lived north and east of here...close is only good for horse shoes and hand grenades...
Snowfall for the top 15 warmest Decembers since 1949 for Philadelphia...
year....Dec temp...winter snowfall"...
2001..........43.7............4.0"
2011..........43.3............4.0"
2012..........43.1............8.3"
2006..........42.7..........13.4"
1990..........42.1..........14.6"
1998..........42.0............5.2"
1956..........42.0............7.9"
1984..........41.9..........22.2"
1994..........41.9............9.8"
1971..........41.6..........12.2"
1982..........41.2..........37.9"
1996..........40.2..........12.9"
1972..........39.9..........trace
1999..........39.9..........18.2"
1991..........39.7............4.7"
15 yr ave snowfall.........11.6"
Coldest December...
1989..........25.5..........17.0"
1960..........27.6..........49.1"
1963..........27.9..........32.9"
1958..........29.4............5.1"
1976..........30.3..........18.7"
1955..........30.5..........23.0"
1961..........31.0..........30.4"
1962..........31.0..........20.5"
2000..........31.3..........26.1"
1995..........31.6..........65.5"
1968..........32.3..........23.7"
1980..........32.5..........15.4"
1977..........32.6..........54.9"
2010..........32.7..........44.0"
1983..........33.1..........21.6"
15 yr ave snowfall.........29.2"
Philadelphia average snowfall is 20.6"...The data I used might be missing some days?...The top 15 warm Decembers had only two winters that were above average with none over 40"...The cold Decembers had ten above average...one average and four below...1957 was at 39.4 for december and had 41.9" of snow so there is hope if this December is as mild as the last two...I doubt that will happen this time...I'd like to see a cold December because the chances are much greater you will see above average snowfall...

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How about temperature? Is this just persistance of a warm pattern or is there something else going on.

the normal winter temperature for Philadelphia is 35.4...Dec. 37.5...Jan. 33.0...Feb. 35.7...only one of the top 15 warmest December years ended up with a below normal winter...1984-85...Only one of the cold December years ended up above average...1989-90... the warm December years had five with all months above normal...six with a cold February...Three with a cold January...one with a cold January and February...

year..........Dec....Jan....Feb....Ave...

normal.....37.5...33.0...35.7...35.4

2012-13...43.1...36.4...35.1...38.2

2011-12...43.3...37.9...41.0...40.7

2006-07...42.7...38.2...28.0...36.3

2001-02...43.7...39.2...41.1...41.3

1999-00...39.9...32.1...37.4...36.5

1998-99...42.0...35.3...37.9...38.4

1996-97...40.2...32.5...40.0...37.7

1994-95...41.9...38.2...31.5...37.2

1991-92...39.7...35.7...37.5...37.6

1990-91...42.1...35.1...40.0...39.1

1984-85...41.9...27.3...35.3...34.8

1982-83...41.2...34.1...34.0...36.4

1972-73...39.9...34.4...33.6...36.0

1971-72...41.6...35.1...32.4...36.4

1956-57...42.0...29.2...37.4...36.2

..........................................................

2010-11...32.7...29.3...37.2...33.1

2000-01...31.3...32.5...37.3...33.7

1995-96...31.6...30.2...33.9...31.9

1989-90...25.5...40.3...41.2...35.7

1983-84...33.1...26.2...38.7...31.7

1980-81...32.5...25.3...37.9...31.9

1977-78...32.6...28.0...24.6...28.4

1976-77...30.3...20.0...33.6...28.0

1968-69...32.3...29.8...32.0...31.4

1963-64...27.9...33.0...31.8...30.9

1962-63...31.0...27.4...26.5...28.3

1961-62...31.0...30.0...30.3...30.4

1960-61...27.6...25.0...34.0...28.9

1958-59...29.4...31.6...33.2...31.4

1955-56...30.5...32.1...37.6...33.4

The cold December years had eight years with all cold months...One year with two cold and one normal...five years with a mild February...one year with a mild Jan/Feb...

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The "muscle memory" if you have a 6" or greater snow in December for Philadelphia is pretty astounding too.  Dont have them at home, but you are pretty much guaranteed one more that winter and nearly half the time two.

Reminds me of the quote: "What happens in December, the winter will remember."

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