Mid-Atlantic Faces Historic ‘Snow Drought’ As New York And Philadelphia Still Wait For First Measurable Snow

Topline

Cities across the East Coast are still waiting to receive their first “measurable” snowfall this winter, as unseasonably warm weather pelts cities from Washington, D.C., to New York City with heavy rain but hasn’t forced residents to break out their shovels, bringing several cities close to all-time records for the latest-ever first snowfall of the winter.

Rain, rain, go away: Residents of New York City are still waiting for the first measurable snowfall … [+] of the year.

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Key Facts

New York City, which averages just under 30 inches of snow each winter, is three days away from breaking its January 29 all-time record for the latest date in a season before the city receives “measurable” snowfall (defined as at least 0.1 inches), according to Accuweather.

Philadelphia, which typically receives its first measurable snowfall midway through December, has not received any snow so far this season either, and is one week away from tying its February 3 all-time record (Philadelphia had recorded no snow in the winter of 1972–73).

Two storms this week brought snow to western Maryland, but left Baltimore with rain, as the city’s snow drought continues, although it’s nearly a month away from setting a record—the previous record was set on February 21, 1973, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Washington, D.C., was also hit hard by this week’s storms with wind gusts upwards of 40 mph, although unseasonably warm temperatures held off any snowfall, bringing the city within a month of hitting its February 23 record for the latest date before measurable snowfall.

Contra

Despite the lack of snow, there’s been no shortage of rain, most recently with a “multifaceted” storm that spanned from the Great Plains to New England on Wednesday and Thursday. That storm brought snow just south of the Great Lakes region and into northern New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, but left the mid-Atlantic with rain and wind.

Tangent

Some regions of the country have no shortage of snow. Parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California have already recorded upwards of 40 inches of snow this season—the highest levels in the country—according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Key Background

The first recorded measurable snowfall of the season has been shifting further back each winter as a result of human-caused climate change and urbanization, according to the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang. Without snow accumulating on the ground, areas that typically receive snowfall throughout the winter are left without a layer of snow called a snowpack. This snow usually provides fresh water into the ground and rivers as it melts in the spring and summer, acting as a “natural reservoir,” according to NOAA.

Surprising Fact

On top of New York City’s likely record for the latest winter snowfall this season, the city is also in line to break another record: the longest time between measurable snowfall events. The city is just nine days short of going 332 days without measurable snowfall—surpassing an all-time record set in 2000—though it could fall just short of breaking that record. Light snow is in the forecast next Wednesday.