Friday, July 17, 2009

Cooler Summer Could Lead to Snowier Winter

Have you noticed the lack of heat and humidity so far this summer? People are saving on their energy bills because air conditioning has been turned off more than usual. Others are disappointed that their normal summer activities like swimming have been compromised because the need to cool off in a pool is less than usual. Earlier this week temperatures were in the high 80's, but with the lack of humidity the temperature readings seemed hard to believe.

So what does all this mean for winter? Accuweather's Expert Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi thinks the cooler summer will lead to a snowier winter. To be exact, "The heart of winter will be centered over the area from Boston to Washington, D.C.", says Bastardi.

(Here's Bastardi!)


Bastardi begins his forecast predictions by stating that for the Northeast, "this has been the coolest summer in more than a decade." This cool trend has been referred to as the 'Year Without True Summer.' Kind of a scary thought, right? A year without summer? Are you crazy!?! That's unthinkable!

This crazy, unthinkable lack of summer, however, could lead to a very promising and exciting winter season, especially for those involved in the ski, snowboarding and snow tubing industries. Past and recent weather trends all point to this prediction of a very snowy winter for the Northeast. New York City did not see a day in June where temperatures were over 85 degrees. Records show that below 85 degree temperatures have only occurred three times in NYC - each time was followed by a snowy winter.

This past June, Chicago had 12 days of temperatures under 70 degrees. This has happened only one other time, which was also followed by a snowy winter.

So how snowy will the Northeast actually be this upcoming winter? Bastardi predicts that the hardest hit areas "will be from New England through the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic." Since Liberty Mountain falls into all three regions, the following numbers are important to note.

Bastardi's snowfall predictions for 2009-10 winter: 50 to 100 inches
Inches of snow received during 2002-03 winter (our most recent snowiest winter): 80 inches

And just to remind you of how snowy 2002-03 was...

While the Northest is expected to receive lots of snow this winter, the midwest, central Plains, and Pacific Northwest are predicted to have much milder temperatures with below-normal precipitation.

More snow for the 2009-10 winter? We welcome it with open arms! More snow means more open days for our mountain and our slopes. Let's check back next March and see if Mr. Bastardi was right.

Read Joe Bastardi's full predictions here. Check out Joe's recent video here.

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