Sunday, December 19, 2010

Syracuse Snowfall Smashes Monthly Max


Images (click to enlarge): December 19, 2010, snow depth and departure from normal, from National Weather Service



The 1.4" of snow which fell at Syracuse, NY on Friday, December 17, brought the monthly total so far to 70.9". This is the highest amount ever recorded in December at Syracuse. The old record was 70.3" in 2000. Aided by a persistent northwesterly wind over an unfrozen Lake Ontario, snow has fallen on all but 4 days so far this month. Six inches or more fell on each of 4 consecutive days from the 5th through the 8th, and there have been 3 days with at least 10" each.

With a little less than 2 weeks left, this month is now within 0.1" of tying the 4th highest monthly total in Syracuse history dating back to 1902:
1. 78.1 INCHES JANUARY 2004
2. 72.6 INCHES FEBRUARY 1958
3. 72.2 INCHES JANUARY 1978
4. 71.0 INCHES JANUARY 1966
5. 70.9 INCHES DECEMBER 1ST-18TH, 2010
The latest forecast indicates that the greatest chance for more snowfall in the coming week is a 50% probability of snow showers on Monday.

The December average temperature of 26.2° so far at Syracuse, while 4.4° below average, is not even within 5° of being in the top 5 coldest Decembers. The coldest on record was 14.7° in 1998.

Today's snow depth map for the Northeast from the National Weather Service shows heavy amounts in the lee of the Great Lakes and in the Adirondacks and mountains of northern New England, but little or nothing along the coast and most interior sections.

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