The number crunchers over at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville have released the final figures for Winter 2008, running from December through February. In the United States and around the world, it was the coldest winter recorded since 2001, with an average US temperature of 33.2 degrees–still .2 degrees above the 20th century average. Much of the country saw above-normal precipitation, leading to plenty of snow in the north and west.

In February, US temperatures were near average, and precipitation was above normal. It was the 84th wettest and 63rd warmest of 114 years measured. In general, the west was cooler than average, while the east was warmer. In Georgia, it was the 88th warmest winter recorded, with the warmest temperatures relative to average in the northwest and southeast corners of the state.

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As predicted, the storm that started last week in Texas moved up the Ohio Valley on Saturday, bringing blowing snow over a foot deep in many places in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. The map below shows the depth of the snow as of 3 AM on Sunday, March 9th.

Here are some total snowfall amounts for the storm:

Aurora, Indiana: 12 inches
Florence, Kentucky: 15.5 inches
Louisville, Kentucky: 14.4 inches
Williamstown, Kentucky: 16 inches
Cincinnati, Ohio: 10 inches
Columbus, Ohio: 20.4 inches
Dayton, Ohio: 13.1 inches
Broadview Heights, Ohio (near Cleveland): 21 inches
Franklin, Pennsylvania (near Erie): 14 inches

The satellite image above shows the effects of the snowfall.

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Much of the eastern half of the country is under the grips of a late winter storm that is bringing plenty of rain and snow to many areas.  Much of Ohio is under a blizzard warning, and a winter storm warning extends from southern Arkansas to Maine.  Earlier in the week, the storm brought snow to Texas, including six inches reported near Fort Worth and up to nine inches in the northern part of the state.

This system reminds me of the storm we had back on March 12-15, 1993 which brought half a foot of snow to the Atlanta area, and much more further north. Coincidentally, that was the weekend that Atlanta Motor Speedway held its Spring NASCAR race, the same as this weekend. While the worst effects of the storm will be further west than the 93 version, there is the same type of gulf-moisture driven low pressure that we saw back then.

The low is moving northeast, dragging gulf moisture with it.  More recently, much of Arkansas and Oklahoma received up to 14 inches of the white stuff, and further north, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky have reported between 2 and 4 inches of snow, with more to come this evening as the front moves north.  Of course, the snow is on the cold side of the front.  On the warm side, temperatures stayed well above normal today, with a high here in Lawrenceville of 70 degrees.

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While the vernal equinox isn’t for another three weeks, from a weatherman’s perspective, today is the first day of spring. And it looks like for the next two weeks or so, spring is going to be colder and wetter than normal, so take advantage of the nice weather this weekend while it lasts.

Beginning on Monday evening, another round of storms should hit much of the east coast, including Georgia. The latest hazards outlook is calling for a chance of severe thunderstorms Monday evening and Tuesday, and is also calling for some significant drought relief from the rain the storms will bring. Another front passing through later in the week could bring some rain, but it is more likely to introduce some cooler weather, with high temperatures next week at this time in the low 50s.

The 6-10 day outlook is calling for colder than normal temperatures, and greater than normal precipitation in north Georgia, while the 8-14 day outlook continues the cold trend and brings precipitation back to normal. For the month as a whole, the outlook is for warmer than normal temperatures, and normal rainfall.

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You know that it’s been an unusual January when Atlanta records more snowfall than New York City. With no snow forecast for the last day of the month in either  city, Atlanta has recorded 1.4 inches of snow for the month, with most of that coming on the 19th. On the other hand, New York City recorded a trace of snow on the 27th, its only white stuff for the month.

According to an article in the New York Sun,  it’s the first time in 75 years that no measurable snow has fallen in NYC in January.  The article also quotes Weather Service officials as saying that the lack of snow in the Big Apple is due more to storm patterns tracking inland than due to global warming.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report for noticing this.

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