Say It Ain’t Snow

2018-10-20 14:44:17.000 – Taylor Regan, Weather Observer and Research Specialist

Well, it’s official, the summit has seen snow. And not just a trace either! Our snowfall for the month of October has now topped ten inches (10.4” to be exact) with more on the way. It’s a pretty exciting thing for observers on the summit, the first measureable snow of the season. And while Mount Washington has seen more than an inch of snow in every month of the year, we typically hit that mark in late September. So how has this season measured up? Let’s take a look!

Figure 1. A Snowy Start to the Shift.

Since we typically start our substantial “snow-season” in September, let’s start there. On average, the summit reports 2.2 inches of snowfall during the month of September. This year, we recorded a whopping trace. Things didn’t get much better as we moved into October, with temperatures hovering 15-20 degrees above average. Snow, as it would have it, proved elusive.

Figure 2. A Snowy Vista.

A major shift in pattern however saw a remarkable about-face as we entered the second half of the month, with temperatures swinging to 10-15 degrees below average, and winter seemingly appearing overnight. We’re still a bit below average; our 10.4 previously accumulated inches only accounts for a little more than half of our average October snowfall (17.6 inches), however, with snow showers likely through the weekend, we stand a good chance at ending the month around average for snowfall. It’ll be interesting to see how the next few weeks play out!

Taylor Regan, Weather Observer and Research Specialist