State of the Snowpack

Another round of snowfall impacted the region yesterday and a bit more is expected throughout the day today, bringing a solid snowpack to New England. That is set to change though, as a warming trend is forecast for the near to medium-range future.

(NWS/CPC)

Before we see some melting snow that we have not had much of this winter, lets take a look at where our snowpack sits now. 

Most locations have a snow depth greater than 5", which is a welcome sight compared to recent winters.

Feb 23, 2021 (NOAA/NOHRSC)

Compare the above current snow depth map to the one from the same date in 2020, and you'll see a stark contrast in what areas have snow on the ground. 

Feb 23, 2020 (NOAA/NOHRSC)

Comparing those two maps we can make some interesting observations. More northern locations, like northern VT, NH, interior Main, and Quebec had a deeper snow depth on this date last year than they do now. On the flip side, areas in southern New England, New York, and New Jersey, which had virtually no snow on this date last year, have a decent snowpack now. I think this observation speaks to the fact that we had more borderline rain/snow events last year than we have had this year. Those events tend to favor northern areas, when southern locations could see all rain.

To focus on a specific location that I often like to look at, lets take a look at the Mt. Mansfield Snow Stake:

(NWS/Matthew Parrilla)

The summit of the mountain currently has a snow depth of 48", below the normal amount of 62".

One last thing I'd like to point out is the snowpack at Burlington International Airport. There, the current snow depth is 14 inches, which is nothing too anomalous for this time of the year in Vermont. However, there has been at least a foot of snow on the ground for the past 20 days. Since 1990, there have only been two years with at least one foot of snow on the ground for 20 or more days (the other was 2007).

We'll start a warming trend soon, the sun angle will start to increase, and we're approaching spring and a climatologically warmer period, so enjoy the snow while we have it!