Flakes flew in late October and early November showing promise of an epic winter to come. Unfortunately, unseasonably warm temperatures and a general lack of snow in December left many outdoor enthusiasts skeptical about the Farmer’s Almanac predictions of another La Nina winter. Admittedly, we here at Snowshoes.net began to get nervous as we saw site traffic and consumer demand become stagnant through the end of 2011.
Luckily, our holiday wishes have come true and our snow dances prevailed as snow storms began pounding the entire country in the early part of this New Year. Many ski resorts in Colorado and Utah are reporting fresh snow almost daily, my cousin in Maine has been called into work snowplowing almost every night for the last few weeks, and Alaska has called in the National Guard to dig out after receiving up to 27 feet of snow in some towns.
Seattle doesn’t typically get much snow considering its latitudinal location; Seattle typically only sees about 8 inches of snowfall annually. The snow storm which hit the Northwest on Wednesday January 18th essentially shut the city down when roughly 6 to 8 inches fell. The article “Snow Wimps: Seattle is shut down by first real snow of season” written by the LA Times outlines the effects the snowfall is having on the city. And yes, I found it particularly funny that the LA Times was calling anyone a snow wimp when the greatest snowfall recorded in downtown Los Angeles was 2 inches (5 cm) in 1932.
Several towns near Helena and Missoula Montana reported snowfall of up to one foot this morning, as reported in the article “Storm dumps foot of snow on Montana towns” written by the Great Falls Tribune. Montana residents were much more prepared for winter as they get snow storms of this nature on a fairly regular basis. The snow storms did cause school delays and some traffic accidents.
New England is also reporting heavy snows this morning. The article “Northern New England deals with heavy snow” written by the Bangor Daily News interviews an ecstatic snow removal company owner, the executive director of Maine Snowmobile Association, and a spokesman for Bretton Wood Ski Area who are all reporting upswings in business thanks to the snow.
Alaska has been hit hardest of most likely any place on earth this year some towns in Alaska are reporting up to 27 feet of total accumulation thus far this winter. The staggering depths are roughly double the amount of snowfall these towns would get in an average season. An Associated Press article “Snow-Laden Alaska towns dig out from huge pile-up” details recovery efforts of the National Guard members who have been brought in along with heavy equipment and reserve fuel to communities needing help digging out.
While your town might not be seeing snow fall of this magnitude it is definitely a positive sign for winter. If you own a pair of snowshoes you may want to dig them out of the closet and put them in an accessible location in your house, who knows you may need them to dig yourself out. If you are in the market for new snowshoes its not too late to order a pair. Whether you’ll be using your snowshoes to dig out of your house or just hitting the trails to take advantage of the fresh fluffy stuff rest assured, winter is here.
More Snowfall Predicted:
Snow for Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, NYC, Boston
NYC, New England Sneaky Snow Thursday Night
Northwest Snowstorms to Reach Midwest, East, California
Tags: Blogs
Now if only we could get some consistent snow out in Michigan. I bought a bunch of new outdoor wear to keep me warm and I haven’t been able to use it. Come on snow, I miss you.