New york city snowfall

[Weather Mecca]

I accidently asked this in another thread, but the question is What calander date has the greatest amount of times it has snowed in NYC? I could not find that answer anywhere. Can any of you help me out?

[A-L-E-X]

Dulles saw 32.4" with the 2/5-6 event last winter, which is the highest snowstorm total of any I-95 reporting location. 30"+ can be done, you just need the most perfect conditions imaginable (and I'd imagine the "limit" for DC-BOS is somewhere around 36", although within four days you had some in northern MD see 50" last winter).

NYC probably saw 30" with March 1888, but suffered the usual measurement problems. Southern Brooklyn had 26" and Northern Queens had 38" in that, so 30" sounds about right for Manhattan. Cape May, the southern tip of NJ, got 35" in Feb 1899, so under perfect conditions NYC could see 40" in a storm, 60" in a month (last Feb, when NYC set its record of 37" of snow, we just barely missed out on Feb 6; that would have gotten us to 60" plus for the month) and 100" in a season (happened a few times in the 1800s, and we actually have 93" for the 365 day period ending Jan 31, 2011.)... if Feb 6, 2010 had been like 50 miles further north, it would have been 120 inches in the past 12 months-- and that's with a snowless March 2010!

[jasonli18t]

Dulles saw 32.4" with the 2/5-6 event last winter, which is the highest snowstorm total of any I-95 reporting location. 30"+ can be done, you just need the most perfect conditions imaginable (and I'd imagine the "limit" for DC-BOS is somewhere around 36", although within four days you had some in northern MD see 50" last winter).

latitude aside, dulles is considerably inland when compared to new york city, which we all know can greatly help to limit mixing and increase ratios. While snowstorms are more common in new york city, i think Dulles might be in a position to see a greater once-in-a-while extreme.

[uncle W]

I accidently asked this in another thread, but the question is What calander date has the greatest amount of times it has snowed in NYC? I could not find that answer anywhere. Can any of you help me out?

you can piece it together from this site...snow records go back to 1890...

http://climate.usurf.usu.edu/products/data.php

[Weather Mecca]

Thanks

[tamarack]

Great stuff.

Still waiting for our 30+ inch KNYC storm.

As already noted, that may take a while. Though the all time champs are amazingly similar for I-95 places north of RIC (their best is 21.6"), not many 30s to be found. (Note: Though #1 storms are much alike, #10s or #15s are more latitudinally logical.)

I-95 locations

CITY...Snowfall..Date

DCA......28.0.....1/27-28/1922

BWI......28.2......2/15-18/2003

PHL......30.7......1/7-8/1996

NYC......26.9......2/11-12/2006

PVD......28.6......2/6-7/1978

BOS......27.6......2/17-18/2003

PWM.....27.1......1/17-18/1979

BGR......30.9......2/24-27/1969

HUL.......29.2......3/17-19/1981

[JBG]

I accidently asked this in another thread, but the question is What calander date has the greatest amount of times it has snowed in NYC? I could not find that answer anywhere. Can any of you help me out?

I'm going to guess somewhere in the February 7-11 band. Any takers?

[A-L-E-X]

latitude aside, dulles is considerably inland when compared to new york city, which we all know can greatly help to limit mixing and increase ratios. While snowstorms are more common in new york city, i think Dulles might be in a position to see a greater once-in-a-while extreme.

I would love to see what Feb 1899 slightly further north or a March 1888 repeat would do

[yhbrooklyn]

Last year's storm would have been over 30" if it was colder.

We lost a lot of precip to mixing/rain and then it snowed like nuts overnight.

[A-L-E-X]

Last year's storm would have been over 30" if it was colder.

We lost a lot of precip to mixing/rain and then it snowed like nuts overnight.

It would have been like Feb 1899 with the 35" over NYC instead of Cape May, NJ

[Sampson]

Last year's storm would have been over 30" if it was colder.

We lost a lot of precip to mixing/rain and then it snowed like nuts overnight.

I've always thought this. The snow was extremely heavy all day, enough so that about 3 or 4" of wet slop was able to stick despite the unfavorable surface temperature (33-34). For that to happen during the day in late February in Manhattan is really a testament to how heavy the precipitation really was. It didn't get cold enough for good accumulating snow until like 9 or 10 at night, and IIRC, even then it was only like 31F. The real ratios and heavy accumulation occurred between 11pm and 4am when the temperatures dropped into the mid 20's. Does anyone recall what the total QPF for that storm was for KNYC?

[uncle W]

February 3-4th 1961 would have been 10" more if it didn't change to sleet and rain for a time in the middle of the storm...2.7" of precip yielded 17.4" of snow and ice...

[A-L-E-X]

February 3-4th 1961 would have been 10" more if it didn't change to sleet and rain for a time in the middle of the storm...2.7" of precip yielded 17.4" of snow and ice...

So we have a few possibilities on the table -- a colder March 1888, Feb 1961 and Feb 2010; a slightly further north Feb 1899.

[chazman]

Elizabeth, NJ came in with 32" for the 1996 blizzard. Is their location such that they can get over 30," but KNYC can't?

[Guest Pamela]

So we have a few possibilities on the table -- a colder March 1888, Feb 1961 and Feb 2010; a slightly further north Feb 1899.

In many regards 1888 was the "Last Stand" for the Little Ice Age...it remains the coldest calendar year ever recorded at Central Park and its March is the coldest ever there as well.

Although the East Coast Blizzard is romantacized...the one over the Great Plains two months earlier may have been just as fierce...though snowfall was far less substantial.

[JBG]

Elizabeth, NJ came in with 32" for the 1996 blizzard. Is there location such that they can get over 30," but KNYC can't?

Still very tough for it to happen.

[Mitchel Volk]

Areas north of NYC got 50" from the Blizzard of 1888, so I think the upper limit would be around 50" from a storm.

[A-L-E-X]

In many regards 1888 was the "Last Stand" for the Little Ice Age...it remains the coldest calendar year ever recorded at Central Park and its March is the coldest ever there as well.

Although the East Coast Blizzard is romantacized...the one over the Great Plains two months earlier may have been just as fierce...though snowfall was far less substantial.

William, do you think 1899 was really impressive for Arctic cold as well as the blizzard also? In some ways, I find it even more impressive than 1888. Maybe that was part of the LIA too?

[Guest Pamela]

William, do you think 1899 was really impressive for Arctic cold as well as the blizzard also? In some ways, I find it even more impressive than 1888. Maybe that was part of the LIA too?

The cold of February 1899 was extraordinary...north Florida dropped to -2 F...enough said.

[A-L-E-X]

What we wouldnt give to see something like this again:

http://en.wikipedia....lizzard_of_1899

The Great Blizzard of 1899 was an unprecedented winter weather event that affected the southern United States. What made it historic was both the severity of winter weather and the extent of the U.S. it affected, especially in the South. The first reports indicated record-high barometric pressure over Assiniboia (now Saskatchewan) due to the weight of the extremely cold and dense air. Later reports of the impending freeze were relayed down through Florida by the Florida East Coast Railway.

[edit]

Arctic cold

The event started out on February 11 as a severe cold wave in which every part of the East Coast from Georgia to Maine received sub-zero Fahrenheit temperatures. The following state record low temperatures for February were achieved:

Cape May, New Jersey: 0 °F (−17 °C) (coldest temperature ever recorded in Cape May county)

Tallahassee, Florida: −2 °F (−19 °C) (only recorded instance of a sub-zero Fahrenheit temperature in Florida)

Diamond, Georgia: −12 °F (−24 °C)

Atlanta, Georgia: −9 °F (−23 °C) (coldest ever in Atlanta history since at least 1874)

Sandy Hook, Kentucky: −33 °F (−36 °C)

Minden, Louisiana: −16 °F (−27 °C)

Fort Logan, Montana: −61 °F (−51 °C)

Camp Clark, Nebraska: −47 °F (−44 °C)

Milligan, Ohio: −39 °F (−39 °C)

Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania: −39 °F (−39 °C)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: −20 °F (−20 °C)

Santuc, South Carolina: −11 °F (−24 °C)

Erasmus, Tennessee: −30 °F (−34 °C)

Austin, Texas: −1 °F (−18 °C)

San Antonio, Texas: +4 °F (−15°C)

Monterey, Virginia: −29 °F (−34 °C) (all-time state low until 1985)

Dayton, West Virginia: −35 °F (−37 °C)

Washington, D.C.: −15 °F (−26 °C) (still the all-time low temperature within the District of Columbia)

[edit]

Winter weather

Snowball fight on the steps of the Florida Capitol, Feb. 1899.

On February 12, snow started falling from Fort Myers and Tampa in Florida west towards New Orleans. Blizzard conditions were reported north of Tampa along the west coast of Florida due to ocean-effect snow. The storm crossed the Florida peninsula and intensified as it rapidly moved up the Eastern United States. High Point, North Carolina recorded 10-12" (25-30 cm) of snow, and temperatures as low as 10 °F (−12 °C) on the 11th, 5 °F (−15 °C) on the 13th, and 3 °F (−16 °C) on the 14th. It was said to be the coldest weather known to the oldest inhabitants. Washington, D.C. recorded its all-time record single snowfall of 20.5 inches (52 cm), though it was later broken. Cape May, New Jersey recorded 34 inches (86 cm), which is the highest single storm snowfall total ever in New Jersey, in what is normally the least-snowy part of the state.

The port of New Orleans was completely iced over by February 13, with ice floes reportedly floating out of the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. On February 14 the city experienced its coldest ever Mardi Gras reading of 22°F. The Krewe of Rex Parade was delayed while snow was removed from the route.[1]

Also on February 14, the low temperature in Miami was 29 °F (−2 °C), the second-coldest (and the first sub-freezing) temperature that the city has ever recorded.

North of the Mid-Atlantic region, the storm weakened somewhat, but it was still a very powerful blizzard. New York's Central Park recorded 16 inches (41 cm), which at the time was its third-biggest snowfall, but many surrounding areas recorded 2-3 feet (60 to 90 cm), as did most of New England.

There are even Cuban reports (made by the U.S. Weather Bureau, as Cuba was a U.S. territory at the time) that the country experienced hard frost which killed or damaged many crops. This was despite the cold air first having to cross the Florida Strait and its warm Gulf Stream waters. The blizzard of 1899 is referred to as "The Snow King".

The only other cold wave of such severity in the Southeast was the 1985 Florida freeze, which destroyed the citrus groves in central Florida, and forced the industry into south Florida.

[edit]

References

Kocin, Paul J.; Weiss, Alan D.; Wagner, Joseph J. (1988), "The Great Arctic Outbreak and East Coast Blizzard of February 1899", Weather and Forecasting 3 (4): 305–318, doi:10.1175/1520-0434(1988)003<0305:TGAOAE>2.0.CO;2

[A-L-E-X]

That storm would make the recent "monster" storm that hit Chicago seem like a glorified snow flurry

[A-L-E-X]

Blizzard conditions near Tampa.... maybe even more rare than the temps recorded lol.

[A-L-E-X]

Blizzard of 1888 for comparison (the eastern one):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard_of_1888

This article is about the blizzard in the eastern United States and Canada. For the blizzard in the Great Plains in the same year, see Schoolhouse Blizzard.

Great Blizzard of 1888

Surface analysis of Blizzard on March 12, 1888 at 10 p.m.

Storm type: Winter storm

Formed: March 11, 1888

Dissipated: March 14, 1888

Maximum

amount:* 58 inches (147 cm)

Lowest

pressure: 982 hPa (29.0 inHg)

Damages: $25,000,000 (1888 dollars), $1.2 billion (2008 dollars)

Fatalities: 400

Areas affected: Mid-Atlantic coast

^* Maximum snowfall or ice accretion

The Great Blizzard of 1888 or Great Blizzard of '88 (March 11 – March 14, 1888) was one of the most severe blizzards in United States' recorded history. Snowfalls of 40-50 inches (102-127 cm) fell in parts of New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and sustained winds of over 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet (15.2 m). Railroads were shut down and people were confined to their houses for up to a week.[1]Contents [hide]

1 Storm details

2 Effects

3 Pictures

4 References

4.1 Further reading

4.2 Notes

5 External links

[edit]

Storm details

Streets in New York City as the storm hit. Many overhead wires broke and presented a hazard to city dwellers.[2]

Brooklyn Bridge during the blizzard

The weather preceding the blizzard was unseasonably mild with heavy rains that turned to snow as temperatures dropped rapidly.[1] The storm began in earnest shortly after midnight on March 12, and continued unabated for a full day and a half. The National Weather Service estimated this incredible Nor'easter dumped 50 inches (1.3 m) of snow in Connecticut and Massachusetts, while New Jersey and New York had 40 inches (1.0 m).[3] Most of northern Vermont received from 20 inches (50.8 cm) to 30 inches (76.2 cm) in this storm.[4]

Drifts were reported to average 30-40 feet, over the tops of houses from New York to New England , with reports of drifts covering 3-story houses. The highest drift (52 feet / 15.8 metres) was recorded in Gravesend, New York. Fifty-eight inches of snow was reported in Saratoga Springs, New York; 48 inches in Albany, New York; 45 inches of snow in New Haven, Connecticut; and 22 inches of snow in New York City.[5] The storm also produced severe winds; 80 miles per hour (129 km/h) wind gusts were reported, although the highest official report in New York City was 40 miles per hour (64 km/h), with a 54 miles per hour (87 km/h) gust reported at Block Island.[5] New York's Central Park Observatory reported a minimum temperature of 6°F (-14.4°C), and a daytime average of 9°F (-12.8°C) on March 13, the coldest ever for March.[5]

[uncle W]

Blizzard of 1888 for comparison (the eastern one):

http://en.wikipedia....lizzard_of_1888

This article is about the blizzard in the eastern United States and Canada. For the blizzard in the Great Plains in the same year, see Schoolhouse Blizzard.

Great Blizzard of 1888

Surface analysis of Blizzard on March 12, 1888 at 10 p.m.

Storm type: Winter storm

Formed: March 11, 1888

Dissipated: March 14, 1888

Maximum

amount:* 58 inches (147 cm)

Lowest

pressure: 982 hPa (29.0 inHg)

Damages: $25,000,000 (1888 dollars), $1.2 billion (2008 dollars)

Fatalities: 400

Areas affected: Mid-Atlantic coast

^* Maximum snowfall or ice accretion

The Great Blizzard of 1888 or Great Blizzard of '88 (March 11 – March 14, 1888) was one of the most severe blizzards in United States' recorded history. Snowfalls of 40-50 inches (102-127 cm) fell in parts of New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and sustained winds of over 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet (15.2 m). Railroads were shut down and people were confined to their houses for up to a week.[1]Contents [hide]

1 Storm details

2 Effects

3 Pictures

4 References

4.1 Further reading

4.2 Notes

5 External links

[edit]

Storm details

Streets in New York City as the storm hit. Many overhead wires broke and presented a hazard to city dwellers.[2]

Brooklyn Bridge during the blizzard

The weather preceding the blizzard was unseasonably mild with heavy rains that turned to snow as temperatures dropped rapidly.[1] The storm began in earnest shortly after midnight on March 12, and continued unabated for a full day and a half. The National Weather Service estimated this incredible Nor'easter dumped 50 inches (1.3 m) of snow in Connecticut and Massachusetts, while New Jersey and New York had 40 inches (1.0 m).[3] Most of northern Vermont received from 20 inches (50.8 cm) to 30 inches (76.2 cm) in this storm.[4]

Drifts were reported to average 30-40 feet, over the tops of houses from New York to New England , with reports of drifts covering 3-story houses. The highest drift (52 feet / 15.8 metres) was recorded in Gravesend, New York. Fifty-eight inches of snow was reported in Saratoga Springs, New York; 48 inches in Albany, New York; 45 inches of snow in New Haven, Connecticut; and 22 inches of snow in New York City.[5] The storm also produced severe winds; 80 miles per hour (129 km/h) wind gusts were reported, although the highest official report in New York City was 40 miles per hour (64 km/h), with a 54 miles per hour (87 km/h) gust reported at Block Island.[5] New York's Central Park Observatory reported a minimum temperature of 6°F (-14.4°C), and a daytime average of 9°F (-12.8°C) on March 13, the coldest ever for March.[5]

52 ft drift sounds a little high...That's as high as a five story building...

[A-L-E-X]

52 ft drift sounds a little high...That's as high as a five story building...

This might be a minor point, but that 22 inch figure for NYC is wrong also-- although there's little doubt that was undermeasured. Unc, do you have that map that was posted on eastern which showed 26" in southern Brooklyn and 38" in northern Queens?

Either way, Feb 1899 was an event of much greater magnitude.

[uncle W]

This might be a minor point, but that 22 inch figure for NYC is wrong also-- although there's little doubt that was undermeasured. Unc, do you have that map that was posted on eastern which showed 26" in southern Brooklyn and 38" in northern Queens?

Either way, Feb 1899 was an event of much greater magnitude.

February 1899 was historic from NYC south and the blizzard of 88 was from NYC north...

[JBG]

I've always thought this. The snow was extremely heavy all day, enough so that about 3 or 4" of wet slop was able to stick despite the unfavorable surface temperature (33-34). For that to happen during the day in late February in Manhattan is really a testament to how heavy the precipitation really was. It didn't get cold enough for good accumulating snow until like 9 or 10 at night, and IIRC, even then it was only like 31F. The real ratios and heavy accumulation occurred between 11pm and 4am when the temperatures dropped into the mid 20's. Does anyone recall what the total QPF for that storm was for KNYC?

February 3-4th 1961 would have been 10" more if it didn't change to sleet and rain for a time in the middle of the storm...2.7" of precip yielded 17.4" of snow and ice...

So we have a few possibilities on the table -- a colder March 1888, Feb 1961 and Feb 2010; a slightly further north Feb 1899.

This makes my point perfectly. All storms have some imperfections. Either too progressive, too warm, too suppressed, or some dry slotting. No storm can be utterly perfect enough to yield 3" quantitative, all snow, at decent, i.e. greater than 12:1 ratios.

[yhbrooklyn]

Does anyone recall what the total QPF for that storm was for KNYC?

Those 4 days were remarkable.

23 38 35 37 1 28 0 1.20 T 0 14.1 26 60 M M 10 1 40 60

24 42 36 39 2 26 0 0.42 0.0 0 7.8 24 50 M M 10 1 32 30

25 38 27 33 -4 32 0 2.00 9.4 0 3.3 15 270 M M 10 12 20 280

26 33 26 30 -7 35 0 1.17 11.5 14 6.9 8 290 M M 8 12 12 300

Looks like 3.17" for the storm itself.

[tamarack]

IMO, 2/1899 stands alone for its combination of snow, cold, and geographical extent. However, this recent event had all the same ingredients, albeit in lesser intensity. It's the most widespread major winter storm I can remember, even though it was just a garden-variety event IMBY. Major winter effects from West TX to NNE aren't common for a single event.

Though 3/1888 affected a much smaller area, its effects at their worst were (IMO) more intense than anything in 1899. The snowfall amounts are well covered above. Though not as cold, it was a month later in the season when average temps were 8-10F milder (and for record temps more like 15-20F.) NYC has had only a handful of days 30F or more below its normals in its records, and 3/13/1888 is the only one in March; I think it's the only one later in the season than 2/17. Is there any other winter storm that claimed as many lives? That's due in large part to its hitting the most densely populated part of the US, but also speaks to its abnormality.

[A-L-E-X]

IMO, 2/1899 stands alone for its combination of snow, cold, and geographical extent. However, this recent event had all the same ingredients, albeit in lesser intensity. It's the most widespread major winter storm I can remember, even though it was just a garden-variety event IMBY. Major winter effects from West TX to NNE aren't common for a single event.

Though 3/1888 affected a much smaller area, its effects at their worst were (IMO) more intense than anything in 1899. The snowfall amounts are well covered above. Though not as cold, it was a month later in the season when average temps were 8-10F milder (and for record temps more like 15-20F.) NYC has had only a handful of days 30F or more below its normals in its records, and 3/13/1888 is the only one in March; I think it's the only one later in the season than 2/17. Is there any other winter storm that claimed as many lives? That's due in large part to its hitting the most densely populated part of the US, but also speaks to its abnormality.

I agree, and if 3/1888 has occurred a month earlier who knows how much more would have fallen, and over a larger area. I wonder if April 1982 featured those kinds of negative departures; I believe Newark had a low of 19, which was there only ever recorded temp in the teens in April. The whole week following that Blizzard was amazingly cold.