Types of winters you prefer

[Fozz]

I posted that 13-14 was one of my favorite winters a couple years ago and was met with friction. There is no pleasing the MA crew unless we have wall to wall cold with historic snow totals that include a top 5 storm.

I think expectations compared to where we live and what usually happens are completely misaligned with reality.

I think the problem with 2013-14 was that for a lot of people, especially the coastal plain, it was a good but not amazing year.... but the northern and western burbs had a very different experience in December and January, enough to truly make it a top tier winter.

So those who didn't get as much might not take kindly to calling that winter more enjoyable than 09-10, even if it was for your area. Not saying they're right, but some weenies naturally recoil at opinions that sharply diverge from their own

[MN Transplant]

I think the problem with 2013-14 was that for a lot of people, especially the coastal plain, it was a good but not amazing winter.... but the northern and western burbs had a very different experience in December and January, enough to truly make it a top tier winter.

So those who didn't get as much might not take kindly to calling that winter more enjoyable than 09-10, even if it was for your area. Not saying they're right, but some weenies naturally recoil at opinions that sharply diverge from their own

 

A lot of people might rate 13/14 higher if the main storm (Feb 12/13th) didn't have such a lame follow-though with the drippiness of the next day.

[DDweatherman]

A lot of people might rate 13/14 higher if the main storm (Feb 12/13th) didn't have such a lame follow-though with the drippiness of the next day.

From what I remember about 13-14 and I have good memory lol, in Dundalk I got about 47" of snow but out in Frederick my lady received over 70".

[PDIII]

HECs. One HECs and nothing else.  Actually HECs then Indian Summer.  

[PDIII]

I am pretty much only ever in this game for anomalous events.  I would venture to say that (regardless of what people are saying above), if given the choice, people would pick the All-time record breaker at their airport over several moderate or heavy events.  

[WinterWxLuvr]

I posted that 13-14 was one of my favorite winters a couple years ago and was met with friction. There is no pleasing the MA crew unless we have wall to wall cold with historic snow totals that include a top 5 storm.

I think expectations compared to where we live and what usually happens are completely misaligned with reality.

You'll always be met with friction if you choose against a big storm winter around here.

[WinterWxLuvr]

I am pretty much only ever in this game for anomalous events. I would venture to say that (regardless of what people are saying above), if given the choice, people would pick the All-time record breaker at their airport over several moderate or heavy events.

Then you don't read people very well. I have had about 41" this year. If I could go back and turn that into 11 - 3" events and one 8" event I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[WinterWxLuvr]

Pretty soon I'm gonna do a new poll- favorite winter of the last 3. I expect the results to be very close.

Do the past 6 .... all the way back to 2010-2011.

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

I posted that 13-14 was one of my favorite winters a couple years ago and was met with friction. There is no pleasing the MA crew unless we have wall to wall cold with historic snow totals that include a top 5 storm.

I think expectations compared to where we live and what usually happens are completely misaligned with reality.

 

I totally agree with you on this, and I probably said the same thing.  2013-14 ranks a close 3rd in all the winters I've been here (moved here in 2001).  2009-10 being #1 of course, and 2002-03 is second.  2013-14 is a close 3rd and only behind 2002-03 because of PD-II that year.  Otherwise, the two winters were quite similar in a lot of ways.  I liked the nearly door-to-door cold that '13-14 offered, several solid moderate events, including the ones in March.  And though some denigrate the Feb. 12-13 storm because we got hours of light rain and drizzle, it was still a great event notwithstanding.  I know amounts varied and the lull/rain sucked, but I got 12" overnight on the 12th, then 2" more from the ULL later on in the day.

 

This winter ('15-16), I would not put ahead of '13-14, despite the HECS in January.

 

On a slightly different but humorous note, I wonder how many people in here put down that they'd prefer one HECS and nothing else, but are now complaining that this very winter gave us essentially exactly that.  There were several comments in the medium range thread not long ago saying how it sucked we had a "one and done" winter this year.

[Fozz]

I am pretty much only ever in this game for anomalous events.  I would venture to say that (regardless of what people are saying above), if given the choice, people would pick the All-time record breaker at their airport over several moderate or heavy events.  

 

speak for yourself... not everyone has the same preferences

[Fozz]

I totally agree with you on this, and I probably said the same thing.  2013-14 ranks a close 3rd in all the winters I've been here (moved here in 2001).  2009-10 being #1 of course, and 2002-03 is second.  2013-14 is a close 3rd and only behind 2002-03 because of PD-II that year.  Otherwise, the two winters were quite similar in a lot of ways.  I liked the nearly door-to-door cold that '13-14 offered, several solid moderate events, including the ones in March.  And though some denigrate the Feb. 12-13 storm because we got hours of light rain and drizzle, it was still a great event notwithstanding.  I know amounts varied and the lull/rain sucked, but I got 12" overnight on the 12th, then 2" more from the ULL later on in the day.

 

This winter ('15-16), I would not put ahead of '13-14, despite the HECS in January.

 

On a slightly different but humorous note, I wonder how many people in here put down that they'd prefer one HECS and nothing else, but are now complaining that this very winter gave us essentially exactly that.  There were several comments in the medium range thread not long ago saying how it sucked we had a "one and done" winter this year.

 

I still can't decide whether 02-03 or 13-14 was better.... and I change my mind depending on the day, but both were excellent, cold, and very snowy winters. Obviously 09-10 is #1, but those two winters are not that far behind in my book.

 

Another close comparison is this winter vs last. Both had very similar totals IMBY, but the nature of the seasons was very different.

[WinterWxLuvr]

I still can't decide whether 02-03 or 13-14 was better.... and I change my mind depending on the day, but both were excellent, cold, and very snowy winters. Obviously 09-10 is #1, but those two winters are not that far behind in my book.

Another close comparison is this winter vs last. Both had very similar totals IMBY, but the nature of the seasons was very different.

Agree totally Fozz. I think I'm about an inch or two above last year, but last year was 10-1 a better winter than this one has been.

[Bob Chill]

Agree totally Fozz. I think I'm about an inch or two above last year, but last year was 10-1 a better winter than this one has been.

No doubt. Most of last year was Feb 14th onward but a winter blitz of sorts Feb into March.

The same reason I liked 13-14 more than 09-10 from a pure enthusiast POV. 09-10 was sick but bottled up in 4 events for the most part. I like to track stuff more than anything. 13-14 satisfied the tracking part of the hobby more than any other season I can remember.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

Do the past 6 .... all the way back to 2010-2011.

Who in their right mind would choose 10/11, 11/12 or 12/13 over the most recent three?

[WinterWxLuvr]

Who in their right mind would choose 10/11, 11/12 or 12/13 over the most recent three?

That's the whole point of a ranking.

 

And just so you know, I would choose both 10/11 and 12/13 over this POS.  10/11 only had about 1/2 the snow of this winter out here, but it had multiple events even if they didn't amount to much and it was consistently colder.  12/13 was a good winter here.  We had a good stretch the 10 days surrounding Christmas, several events, and then March was good.  Even the early March event that the lowlanders got absolutely screwed on put down 11" here.

 

So yeah, let's rank them.  If you think they sucked, then you would rank them 4,5,6.

[PrinceFrederickWx]

That's the whole point of a ranking.

 

And just so you know, I would choose both 10/11 and 12/13 over this POS.  10/11 only had about 1/2 the snow of this winter out here, but it had multiple events even if they didn't amount to much and it was consistently colder.  12/13 was a good winter here.  We had a good stretch the 10 days surrounding Christmas, several events, and then March was good.  Even the early March event that the lowlanders got absolutely screwed on put down 11" here.

 

So yeah, let's rank them.  If you think they sucked, then you would rank them 4,5,6.

 

But would you choose 10/11 or 12/13 as your #1 though? That's what I'm saying. I feel like all three of those winters would get zero votes (unless you're a snow hater, then you'd choose 11/12). If you think someone in your region may actually vote for those two as #1 I'd include them.

[North Balti Zen]

Then you don't read people very well. I have had about 41" this year. If I could go back and turn that into 11 - 3" events and one 8" event I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

You are and I are so opposite on that. What you are describing sounds like Vermont - they get to their snow averages with a lot of smallish events and some big ones.

[Bob Chill]

I thought 10-11 sucked really bad because it came on the heels of 09-10. The boxing day debacle was quite a gut punch. The Jan storm was a drip fest.

In that same perspective, this year is a win because we managed to string 3 climo+ years in a row. My biggest fear this year was a true dog with no good storms at all. I certainly didn't expect a lot of events. I can't remember exactly what I said early season but I think I posted 5-6 events tops. If Friday produces then my yard hit 4 not including traces.

[Ji]

I thought 10-11 sucked really bad because it came on the heels of 09-10. The boxing day debacle was quite a gut punch. The Jan storm was a drip fest.

In that same perspective, this year is a win because we managed to string 3 climo+ years in a row. My biggest fear this year was a true dog with no good storms at all. I certainly didn't expect a lot of events. I can't remember exactly what I said early season but I think I posted 5-6 events tops. If Friday produces then my yard hit 4 not including traces.

next winter looks promising but suckage is coming soon

[WinterWxLuvr]

But would you choose 10/11 or 12/13 as your #1 though? That's what I'm saying. I feel like all three of those winters would get zero votes (unless you're a snow hater, then you'd choose 11/12). If you think someone in your region may actually vote for those two as #1 I'd include them.

Oh no.

 

I would rank them best to worst as 14/15, 13/14, 12/13, 10/11, 15/16, 11/12

[WinterWxLuvr]

I thought 10-11 sucked really bad because it came on the heels of 09-10. The boxing day debacle was quite a gut punch. The Jan storm was a drip fest.

In that same perspective, this year is a win because we managed to string 3 climo+ years in a row. My biggest fear this year was a true dog with no good storms at all. I certainly didn't expect a lot of events. I can't remember exactly what I said early season but I think I posted 5-6 events tops. If Friday produces then my yard hit 4 not including traces.

The think about 10/11 was that it was virtually an eye lash from being a great winter.  We just got so unlucky on several events.

[WEATHER53]

My ideal is multiple 4-8" events beginning in mid December and it can torch in mid feb is we can have two months of those moderste+ events with dominant high temps in 20's and 30's. To me I get very nearly as much out of an 8" event as I do a 20+ because the post event nature of the 20+ is grueling

[87storms]

13/14 and to a lesser extent 14/15 were really unusually long duration winters here. 13/14 is possibly the closest thing to an upper Midwest or Northeast type of a winter as we're gonna get. I think as time goes on people will appreciate that one more similar to the big one this winter.

[MN Transplant]

13/14 and to a lesser extent 14/15 were really unusually long duration winters here. 13/14 is possibly the closest thing to an upper Midwest or Northeast type of a winter as we're gonna get. I think as time goes on people will appreciate that one more similar to the big one this winter.

 

I would venture that most people would consider 13/14 to be better than 15/16.  The final totals aren't close. 

 

The more interesting thought exercise is 13/14 vs Jan/Feb 2010.  If you drop the December storm in 2009, the totals (at least IMBY) are very similar.  So, do you take the long lasting, cold 13/14 winter or the two weeks of crazy in 2010?

[WinterWxLuvr]

I would venture that most people would consider 13/14 to be better than 15/16.  The final totals aren't close. 

 

The more interesting thought exercise is 13/14 vs Jan/Feb 2010.  If you drop the December storm in 2009, the totals (at least IMBY) are very similar.  So, do you take the long lasting, cold 13/14 winter or the two weeks of crazy in 2010?

Easy for me.  I take 13/14.

 

Very interesting that so many people voted in this thread.  73 if I count correctly.

[Bob Chill]

Easy for me.  I take 13/14.

 

Very interesting that so many people voted in this thread.  73 if I count correctly.

 

From a pure hobbiest point of view (and my personal opinion), I take 13/14 over 09/10 as is. There was a lot of dead space in 09-10 even though we got destroyed 3 times. I like the mental exercise of tracking events as much as measuring feet. I was actually tired of tracking stuff by the end of March. That's never happened to me before an It was great. 

 

However, if I never experienced 09-10 but was presented the question theoretically I would choose theoretical 09-10 over the experience of 13/14. Now that I've witnessed both I would prefer a 10+ event, frozen skating ponds and bay, and nearly door to door winter over all else. 

 

But in reality (especially my yard over yours) we live in an area where winters can easily skip us completely and leave us disappointed with snow totals way more often than any snow weenie would like. We've put together many strings of crappy winters over the last 40 years. Especially since the end of the 80's. Keeping that in perspective make this winter a pretty big win in my book. I'm totally satisfied with it. 

[Fozz]

I would venture that most people would consider 13/14 to be better than 15/16.  The final totals aren't close. 

 

The more interesting thought exercise is 13/14 vs Jan/Feb 2010.  If you drop the December storm in 2009, the totals (at least IMBY) are very similar.  So, do you take the long lasting, cold 13/14 winter or the two weeks of crazy in 2010?

 

I'd take 2013-14

[mappy]

i vote for a volcanic winter

[Bob Chill]

i vote for a volcanic winter

I'm in