Who got the most and least snow this winter?
It's been a long winter for much of the United States, with cold and snow common in many places for months. Now that the February frenzy is over, with the last winter storm in a series exiting the coast Friday, it's time to take a look at seasonal snowfall.
Who are the winners and losers? That depends on whether you like snow or not, but we can tell you which regions have had a lot or a little compared to the historical average.
This map shows estimated accumulated snowfall between Sept. 30, 2024 and Feb. 21, 2024, based on snow reports and model estimates.
In the Northeast, the map above shows heavy snow in favored lake-effect areas. With the lakes freezing later than usual this season, some parts of New York state have been buried with feet of lake-effect snow, even as recently as last week. Totals in these areas are over 10 feet so far this winter. The maximum snowfall total from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) network is 233.7 inches near Phoenix, New York. That's almost 19.5 feet.
Comparing that map to the historical average for the last 17 years, those amounts are 150 to 200 percent above what you'd normally see by late February in the lake-effect areas. The ski resorts in the interior Northeast are enjoying the snow surplus, but the heavy snow has led to major roof collapses. The ski slopes at Jay Peak, Vermont rank in the top 5 snowiest ski resorts in the U.S. so far, with 345 inches (28.75 ft).
The snow bounty is no less in favored lake-effect areas of Michigan, with Elmira reporting 181.7 inches this season.
This map shows the seasonal snowfall percent of historical average, between Oct. 1, 2024 and Feb. 21, 2024, based on snow reports and model estimates. (Penn State)
Other parts of the Northeast, namely the I-95 corridor from Baltimore to Boston, have seen very little snow this winter -- to the tune of half or a quarter of the historical average. Philadelphia is one of those cities. With only 8.1 inches of snow so far this season, they are 9.2 inches below the historical average. With 12.9 inches -- more than a foot -- of snow in New York City this season, they are 9 inches short of the average winter by now.
The mid-Atlantic south of Baltimore has had an above-average season, with Washington, D.C.'s, Reagan National Airport reporting 14.9 inches, 4.4 inches above historical average for this time of year. Coastal areas from Maryland through North Carolina have received twice their normal average, including Norfolk, Virginia, where residents just got a foot of snow, the most that has fallen there in 15 years.
This map shows the seasonal snowfall percent of historical average, between Oct. 1, 2024 and Feb. 21, 2024, based on snow reports and model estimates. (Penn State)
While parts of western North and South Carolina continue to experience a drought, a historic Gulf Coast snowstorm in late January has pushed southern South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle into record territory, with some stations at 500 percent, or more, of average to date. Except for a wide strip from central Texas to central Alabama, most of the rest of the Southeast quadrant of the country has seen more snow than usual.
Snow covers Mardi Gras decorations in New Orleans on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)
The northern Plains and Upper Midwest, as well as the Southwest, have had much less snow than the historical average.
Chicago, where there hasn't been a single winter storm warning issued this season, has only seen 14.2 inches of snow this winter, which is 15.2 inches below normal. Even worse, Flagstaff, Arizona has one of the greatest snow deficits in the country through Feb. 20. They have only had 11.2 inches of snow, compared to their historical average of 62.5 inches.
Typical La Nina winter weather impacts include wet weather in the Northwest, shots of cold air in New England, and predominantly dry and mild in the South.
Some of these patterns, such as lack of snow and rain in the Southwest, are expected in a La Niña winter, but that's not the only factor this time around.
"La Niña generally leads to storms moving with the northern jet stream, which results in excess snow in the Northwest and dry conditions in the South," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok explained.
Patrick Sahr is out just after sunrise shoveling snow from his car and driveway after at least 18 inches of new snow fell - on top of the 3 feet that buried Buffalo, New York, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson)
"This winter season, however, La Niña did not start officially until late December, and there is a lag between when it starts and when the weather responds."
Heavy snow in the South, not typical of La Niña, was caused by other factors including a strong high pressure in Alaska and water temperature anomalies above average in the Gulf, Pastelok said.
February had a very cold and stormy pattern in the U.S. While temperatures are expected to rise temporarily this week, the cold shots are not over yet, and this map may change, especially in northern areas, before winter's true end.
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