White Christmas Discussion 2013

[ROOSTA]

I don't remember the year but there was an Ocean bomb that was forecasted to go harmlessly well right. (Don Kent era) Awoke to several inches maybe more.

Choose to forget the brown ones and the White ones are always magical.

 

Hartford record is 28" I often wonder what the other major CLIMO sites are? The 1960's seem to standout as always being White.

[Hazey]

In 1983 had snow start around noon Christmas eve. Snow tapered to flurries 4am Christmas day morning. Received 16".

1993 snow started at 8am Christmas day morning and ended at 5pm. It dropped 12" of snow. Two of my favorite Christmas snow events. Not sure if those dates mean anything to you folks.

[powderfreak]

That is the one caveat.....it started during the day on xmas, and we ended up with about 5", before a transition to sleet and a dry slot ensued.

Technically, that fits the bill, but the glow was dimmed for me by the fact that what could have been a huge event was so heavily tainted...and the timing was off a good 12-18 hours.

 

That is the closest I've come, though.

 

I got that epic storm on Christmas 2002...it was my last winter living in the Albany area (just SW of ALB) and we picked up an honest 2 feet during the day.  I think the snow started at like 9am and not much was happening through early afternoon, but then all hell broke loose in the deform band that evening.  There were 5"/hr snowfall rates observed and I remember trying to drive my grandmother home from Xmas dinner and having to turn around due to impassable roadways.  It came down so hard and heavy that there was no way road crews could keep up in that deform band.

 

I distinctly remember thinking that evening that I will never, ever see this again on Christmas Day.  The chances of hitting a two foot snowstorm on Christmas Day are pretty low, no matter how long I live.  I will say if you want to get your relatives annoyed with you, get a blizzard on Xmas.  Its almost too much because you can't weenie out between outside and a computer all day...you've gotta do the family thing, lol. 

 

ALB officially had 19.2" during the calendar day (though that 19.2" fell in 16 hours as snow didn't start till mid-morning) and destroyed its Christmas snowfall record, with another few inches falling after midnight on the 26th. 

 

 

Here's the storm summary...deepest Albany area snowfall since March 1993:

 

"With the storm exploding east of New Jersey bands of exceptionally heavy snow began forming and rotating northwest away from the storm center through the area between 1:30pm and 9:00pm.  Snowfall rates climbed to between one and two inches per hour over much of the region with a periods of up to incredible five inch per hour snowfall rates.  The most intense snow band cranked snow out at five to six inches per hour during the late afternoon and evening over the Catskills and Mohawk valley during the late afternoon and evening.  That band of blinding snow pivoted through the Capital Region during the evening and eventually ended up in western New England between 8:00 and 10:00pm in a somewhat weakened form.  By midnight snowfall rates decreased to an average of 1/2" per hour in patches.  By 4:00am all but the last of the flurries had ended in the area leaving one of the most widespread deepest snowfalls in this area since the March 1993 blizzard.  Although, winds did gust to 35 mph with this storm creating widespread blowing and drifting snow as well as whiteout zero visibility conditions, the duration of the wind and poor visibility was considerably shorter and less severe than what occurred in the March 1993 storm."

[OceanStWx]

Yeah that makes more sense. Those number don't seem to completely jive just knowing climo alone.

 

I agree it seems weird, that's why I posted it. I mean first we're talking one day out of a wintry month that may have just historically been an anomaly compared to the 24th or 26th. Second there is probably missing data in the record. If you query by number of occurrences you get the 59 times, but if you go by % of years you get 61%.

 

The climate normal period makes much more sense in my opinion. 30% of the time at BDL versus 47% at ORH.

[TalcottWx]

1995/6/7/00/02/03/05/07/08/09/10/12 More than 10%...unless I'm off on most.

Has it really been that much? 

 

Weird.. Maybe I see a lot less compared to you just because of the fact I'm literally right next to Logan. Maybe not seeing less snow as much as having more trouble keeping it on the ground?

[weathafella]

Has it really been that much? 

 

Weird.. Maybe I see a lot less compared to you just because of the fact I'm literally right next to Logan. Maybe not seeing less snow as much as having more trouble keeping it on the ground?

I think these are for BOS but it's memory so Will can come in and slap me around if necessary...lol.

[cny rider]

I got that epic storm on Christmas 2002...it was my last winter living in the Albany area (just SW of ALB) and we picked up an honest 2 feet during the day.  I think the snow started at like 9am and not much was happening through early afternoon, but then all hell broke loose in the deform band that evening.  There were 5"/hr snowfall rates observed and I remember trying to drive my grandmother home from Xmas dinner and having to turn around due to impassable roadways.  It came down so hard and heavy that there was no way road crews could keep up in that deform band.

 

I distinctly remember thinking that evening that I will never, ever see this again on Christmas Day.  The chances of hitting a two foot snowstorm on Christmas Day are pretty low, no matter how long I live.  I will say if you want to get your relatives annoyed with you, get a blizzard on Xmas.  Its almost too much because you can't weenie out between outside and a computer all day...you've gotta do the family thing, lol. 

 

ALB officially had 19.2" during the calendar day (though that 19.2" fell in 16 hours as snow didn't start till mid-morning) and destroyed its Christmas snowfall record, with another few inches falling after midnight on the 26th. 

 

 

Here's the storm summary...deepest Albany area snowfall since March 1993:

 

"With the storm exploding east of New Jersey bands of exceptionally heavy snow began forming and rotating northwest away from the storm center through the area between 1:30pm and 9:00pm.  Snowfall rates climbed to between one and two inches per hour over much of the region with a periods of up to incredible five inch per hour snowfall rates.  The most intense snow band cranked snow out at five to six inches per hour during the late afternoon and evening over the Catskills and Mohawk valley during the late afternoon and evening.  That band of blinding snow pivoted through the Capital Region during the evening and eventually ended up in western New England between 8:00 and 10:00pm in a somewhat weakened form.  By midnight snowfall rates decreased to an average of 1/2" per hour in patches.  By 4:00am all but the last of the flurries had ended in the area leaving one of the most widespread deepest snowfalls in this area since the March 1993 blizzard.  Although, winds did gust to 35 mph with this storm creating widespread blowing and drifting snow as well as whiteout zero visibility conditions, the duration of the wind and poor visibility was considerably shorter and less severe than what occurred in the March 1993 storm."

Great memories of that storm.

We live right where the "3" is in the 32 inch zone.

Our (one and only) neighbors house is about 200 feet away and they invited us over for dessert after they had Christmas dinner.

We each had a porch light on.  I remember struggling to see our light as we left their house to walk back home in blinding heavy snow.  We just trudged along toward the little point of light.  Nothing else was really visible.

[FEFD17]

Great memories of that storm.

We live right where the "3" is in the 32 inch zone.

Our (one and only) neighbors house is about 200 feet away and they invited us over for dessert after they had Christmas dinner.

We each had a porch light on. I remember struggling to see our light as we left their house to walk back home in blinding heavy snow. We just trudged along toward the little point of light. Nothing else was really visible.

I remember this storm very well. It is one of my favorites. I was right where Warren Washington and Saratoga Counties all meet. I live here and was on my way home from having Christmas at my mother in laws, just over the bridge in Washington County. My now 11 year old son was 4 months old and the way home was wild. There were cars parked in the road because the roads were impassable. That storm was epic when the evening dark fell when it started cranking. It was wild. I have on my Christmas list I want an all out blizzard imby.

[N. OF PIKE]

What a awesome gift for xmas out in east central ny state over to S VT.

Ya bos is a torch spot tuff to get snow to fall , stick and stay for xmas. Crazy how a drive NW by an hour or two increases your odds crazily.

Where i was for turkey day has had snow cover the two times i have been there 2011,2013 . They prob have more white turkey days then boston has white thanksgivings.

[TalcottWx]

I think these are for BOS but it's memory so Will can come in and slap me around if necessary...lol.

Haha working on memories too here. Probably more days than I assumed

[ORH_wxman]

Maybe missing data? But as it stands in the official climate record, it's definitely lower than BDL. ORH shows 45 white Christmases out of 121.

 

 

Wow, that seems really low. But then I realized that snow depth data is missing since 1994 at the airport site and the old coop has a bunch of missing data (22 years prior to 1948 with missing depth on 12/25). 

 

The airport site between 1948 and 1994 had 29 Christmases out of 47 with 1" of snow on the ground or greater. Since 1995, they've had 18 Christmases with 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 with an inch of snow on the ground for a 10/18 pct. So the airport total would be 39/65 for a 60% chance.

[nzucker]

Great memories of that storm.

We live right where the "3" is in the 32 inch zone.

Our (one and only) neighbors house is about 200 feet away and they invited us over for dessert after they had Christmas dinner.

We each had a porch light on. I remember struggling to see our light as we left their house to walk back home in blinding heavy snow. We just trudged along toward the little point of light. Nothing else was really visible.

The posted map is a little low further south... I had 11" in Dobbs Ferry. Our relatives were driving down from Albany, took them six hours. They thought it would change to rain haha.

[dryslot]

it only counts as a white xmas if the snow falls on xmas IMO

 

Deserves :weenie:

[HalloweenGale]

_{'02 was definitely a wild one. As I stated before, I was out in St. Louis when it was getting its act together. Parking lots were coated in at least a half inch of salt. The snow started just before 10 AM and ended by 3 AM on Christmas Day.}

 

 

[TalcottWx]

Models seem to be hinting at something right around XMas, may be white for many

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

Prospects seem to be much better than even a week or two ago

[FEFD17]

Any thoughts on this weekends possible storm? I am hoping it does not end up as another great one for everyone south of Albany......