Snow: is that all there is?
Big snows a rarity this late, but don't be surprised to see more snow after Easter.
Snow: is that all there is?
Emily Babay's "biggest snow" list about sums up the winter. Once again, the Jan. 25 freakish event has held off all challengers and remains No. 1 for the season at 1.5 inches.
We would not rule out further challenges, however, even though nothing is in the extended forecast into early next week.
The block in the North Atlantic won't go away, and although logic and experienced meteorologists agree that it will break down and that we will experience some compensatory warmth eventually, the Climate Prediction Center outlook has below-normal temperatures for much of the country through April 9.
It has snowed around here in April. In fact, while not a single snowfall of 4 inches or more has occurred in the last week in March in Philadelphia in the period of record, three have happened in April.
On Apriil 3-4, 1915, Philly was buried under 19.4 inches; just over 5 inches fell on April 8-9 the next year, and close to 7 inches feel on April 1-2, 1924.
Measureable snow has fallen on 62 different days in the period of record -- or about once every other year, and despite an Easter warm-up, this certainly could be one of those years.
Snow has been recorded officially as late as April 24.
One thing is certain: Any snow that does fall won't be long for this Earth. The daytime sun will take make more-than quick work of it.
Tony Wood has been writing about the atmosphere for The Inquirer for 26 years. E-mail Tony here. And read all his columns here.
