Snow Drought Continues for Indiana Town

By Vickie Frantz, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

December 8,2012; 4:12PM,EST

Snow Drought Continues for Indiana Town

By Vickie Frantz, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

December 08, 2012; 4:12 PM

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This photograph of a "green" December is courtesy of Photos.com.

The last time there was a measurable snowfall in the town of South Bend, Ind., was March 5, 2012.
As of 10 a.m. EST on Dec. 8, 2012, it has been 278 days (and counting) since measurable snow has fallen in the town, according to NOAA. The time period used for counting the last measurable snowfall begins with the last snowfall during the spring of that year. Measurable snowfall must be at least 0.1 of an inch or greater.
This lack of snow broke the 1948 record for longest period with no measurable snowfall. That year, no measurable snow fell for 272 days.
On average in South Bend, there is 215 days between the last measurable snowfall of spring and the first of the winter.
The sight of a snow-free ground for first week of December is common in many states this year. As of December 7th, only 10.3 percent of the U.S. has snow cover. On the same date in 2011, 36.4 percent of the U.S. had snow cover.

These maps (courtesy of NOAA) show the U.S. snow cover for the U.S. on Dec. 7, 2012, (top image) and Dec. 7, 2012 (bottom image).

Snowy scenery is on the way for some states in the Upper Midwest this weekend. A chance of snowfall between 3-6 inches is forecast for Minnesota between Friday and Sunday.
Areas of north-central Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and portions of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan could see snowfall of 6-12 inches before the storm ends.
A measurable snowfall could be recorded in South Bend early next week, according to AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.