Is Snowfall This Season Measuring Up Where You Live?

Jon Erdman
Published: February 4,2015


 

Making the Grade?

We're over halfway through the 2014-2015 snow season. Who are the biggest snow winners and losers, so far?
To answer that, we examined National Weather Service season-to-date snowfall statistics through Feb. 2, 2015 for about 100 cities across the U.S. which average picking up at least 5 inches of snow through Groundhog Day.
Based on a combination of snowfall, snowfall surpluses/deficits (how far above or below average snowfall has been) and the percent of average season snowfall, we placed each city into one of three groups in our midterm snowcard:

• The "honor students": Like Sheldon or Leonard from the hit comedy The Big Bang Theory, these cities are way above average. They're not only getting their homework done on time, they're doing extra credit, spending recess in the library, and building robots on a Saturday night. The snowfall in these cities has been truly "A" material.
• The "flunkies": Think John Bender in the '80s movie, The Breakfast Club. These cities belong in Saturday morning detention, far below average for snowfall. I can't even express how disappointed I am. You're grounded. Go to your room.
• Everybody else: These cities would receive B, C, or D grades. They may not go to Harvard, but they won't end up in jail, either. 

Where did your city land? Click here to start with the honor students, the nerdy cities riding to the top of the snowpile, so far.

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The Honor Students

 

SNOW 2014-15: HONOR STUDENTS

All the cities plotted with purple dots above have had at least 140 percent of their average season-to-date snowfall through Groundhog Day 2015, with one exception detailed below the table of cities below.

Above: Huge snowpiles surround this street in Boston, Massachusetts after Winter Storm Linus in early February 2015. (Ben Papandrea/WSI)

Notables/Records

"A record setting snowy 7-10 days for Downeast Maine."

NWS-Caribou, Maine regarding the Jan. 24 - Feb. 2 parade of four storms. 

The Complete Honor Roll

Below is the complete list of 21 cities that have been our "A students" so far in the 2014-2015 season, ranked in order of percent of average snow through Feb. 2, 2015.  You would have to say Bangor, ME takes the "class valedictorian" so far.

** Despite lower snow surplus and departures from average at Buffalo - Niagara International Airport, we gave them "honor student status" based on the November 2014 lake-effect snow blitz, which dumped over 6 feet of snow in parts of the metro area.

 

 

SNOW 2014-15: HONOR STUDENTS | Create infographics

Next, let's cover the juvenile delinquents of seasonal snowfall.

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The Flunkies

 

SNOW 2014-15: failing STUDENTS

Cities plotted with orange dots above have either picked up little snow, run up large snowfall deficits compared to average season-to-date snowfall, have a low percent of average snow, or some combination of all three through Groundhog Day 2015. 

Above: Tahoe City, California webcam still photo taken on Feb. 4, 2015 showing no snow on the ground in the town. (Weather Underground/HD on Tap)

Notables/Records

The Complete Failing List

weather.com/The Weather Channel

 

SNOW 2014-15: FAILING STUDENTS | Create infographics

Finally, let's lay out the rest of the cities, those lying in the middle of the curve for snowfall.

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The Rest of the Cities

 

 

SNOW 2014-15: average STUDENTS

Cities plotted with blue dots above have picked up near, slightly above or slightly below average snowfall so far this season through Groundhog Day 2015. 

The Complete List

This list contains all the cities that didn't make either the honor roll or the failure list, in order of percent of average snowfall through Feb. 2, 2015. In other words, you can consider these cities getting anywhere from "B" to "D" grades.

 

 

SNOW 2014-15: AVERAGE STUDENTS | Criar infográficos