Say ... it ain’t snow.
That’s the National Weather Service’s winter refrain. Meteorologists reported that only 23 percent of the surface of the lower 48 states yesterday was covered in snow, compared to 70.9 percent cover nationally on the same day in 2011. Joe Pollina, a meteorologist in the service’s New York office, said that the La Niña climate pattern is to thank for this year’s mild weather.
“This year’s very different from last year,” Pollina said. “We’re gonna see extremes in weather — last year there was heavier snow, and this year it’s milder.”
Alaska has had no such luck. Another huge storm slugged Anchorage yesterday, with forecasters saying the system could leave nearly 1½ feet of snow in a city that’s already been hard-hit and is on pace for its snowiest winter on record.
– Kase Wickman
That’s the National Weather Service’s winter refrain. Meteorologists reported that only 23 percent of the surface of the lower 48 states yesterday was covered in snow, compared to 70.9 percent cover nationally on the same day in 2011. Joe Pollina, a meteorologist in the service’s New York office, said that the La Niña climate pattern is to thank for this year’s mild weather.
“This year’s very different from last year,” Pollina said. “We’re gonna see extremes in weather — last year there was heavier snow, and this year it’s milder.”
Alaska has had no such luck. Another huge storm slugged Anchorage yesterday, with forecasters saying the system could leave nearly 1½ feet of snow in a city that’s already been hard-hit and is on pace for its snowiest winter on record.
– Kase Wickman
PHOTO: The Daily
Previous Image: One Year Ago Yesterday
