Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Snowstorms in the Contiguous United States

Abstract

A climatological analysis of snowstorms across the contiguous United States, based on data from 1222 weather stations with data during 1901–2001, defined the spatial and temporal features. The average annual incidence of events creating 15.2 cm or more in 1 or 2 days, which are termed as snowstorms, exhibits great spatial variability. The pattern is latitudinal across most of the eastern half of the United States, averaging 0.1 storm (1 storm per 10 years) in the Deep South, increasing to 2 storms along the Canadian border. This pattern is interrupted by higher averages downwind of the Great Lakes and in the Appalachian Mountains. In the western third of the United States where snow falls, lower-elevation sites average 0.1–2 storms per year, but averages are much higher in the Cascade Range and Rocky Mountains, where 5–30 storms occur per year. Most areas of the United States have had years without snowstorms, but the annual minima are 1 or more storms in high-elevation areas of the West and Northeast. The pattern of annual maxima of storms is similar to the average pattern. The temporal distribution of snowstorms exhibited wide fluctuations during 1901–2000, with downward 100-yr trends in the lower Midwest, South, and West Coast. Upward trends occurred in the upper Midwest, East, and Northeast, and the national trend for 1901–2000 was upward, corresponding to trends in strong cyclonic activity. The peak periods of storm activity in the United States occurred during 1911–20 and 1971–80, and the lowest frequency was in 1931–40. Snowstorms first occur in September in the Rockies, in October in the high plains, in November across most of the United States, and in December in the Deep South. The month with the season’s last storms is December in the South and then shifts northward, with April the last month of snowstorms across most of the United States. Storms occur as late as May and June in the Rockies and Cascades. Snowstorms are most frequent in December downwind of the Great Lakes, with the peak of activity in January for most other areas of the United States.

21st century Wisconsin snow projections based on an operational snow model driven by statistically downscaled climate data

“…By March, precipitation tends to be substantially higher, given the larger moisture holding capacity of warmer air and greater climatological ascent in the atmospheric column; events in March often either occur as heavy snowstorms or rain/mixed precipitation events due to higher temperatures. Reflecting this seasonal pattern, Changnon et al (2006) found that the greatest number of Wisconsin snowstorms was observed in March. By the late 21st century, especially under the A2 scenario, the secondary snowfall peak in March becomes much less distinct (Figure 9a), as March precipitation events become much more likely to fall in the form of rain.…”

The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI)

“…Branick (1997) utilized the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) Storm Data publication to create a national ''climatology'' of winter-weather events, including snow and freezing precipitation, to characterize the frequency, areal coverage, and seasonal behavior of such events. Changnon et al (2006) established a climatology of snowstorms that is based on station data from across the continental United States, and Changnon et al (2008) connected the snowstorm climatology to a climatology of surface cyclone tracks east of the Rocky Mountains. Hirsch et al (2001) more narrowly focused on a climatology of East Coast winter storms, whereas Market et al (2002) narrowed the focus to thundersnow events.…”

An exceptionally heavy snowfall in Northeast china: large-scale circulation anomalies and hindcast of the NCAR WRF model

“…Strong snowfalls often cause damages to pasturage and other properties and bring hazardous conditions to transportation and other human activities. Therefore, numerous studies have been conducted to understand the formation, mechanisms and predictability of snowstorms (Wang and Ding 1995;Zielinski 2002;Zhang et al 2002;Kocin and Uccellini 2004;Changnon et al 2006;Sun et al 2010). Anomalous atmospheric circulation both in the troposphere and stratosphere is associated with the snowstorm and cold surge in East Asia (Sun et al 2009;Jeong et al 2006).…”