I can't help but look at the weather a few times a day if there is some interesting weather on the way.
Since a couple winters ago I became a little more obsessed about our winter weather. It may have something to do with my snowmobiling hobby. So I made to sure read up on at least a couple sources and the predictions for Upstate NY. We entered the La Nina weather pattern so that was good news and then the next word that got me excited was, "average." From October to April the average Syracuse snowfall is around 124 inches. So average was better than last year already which totaled at 80.3 inches. Well I learned a new definition for "syracuse average winter weather."
This past winter is best described as bipolar.
We got a nice storm (Argos) with 2 feet of snowfall in a couple days just before Thanksgiving. I actually learned a couple lessons in snowmobiling in fresh snow drifts. It was a great start and my hopes were high. Well it all melted a week later with temperature in the 40's and occasional 50's.
December wasn't too exciting but we did get a few inches here and there and I did go riding for a couple trips at the next-door field.
January really dashed any hopes of a serious winter. We broke a record at 8.4 inches for the whole month when it should have been ON AVERAGE 35 inches.
In February things picked up a little more with some lake effect snow but it was more serious up north where the snow totals were above 10 feet. A few snowmobiler and I went up north for a day trip of 100 miles to enjoy the white goodness. A couple storms dumped enough snow for a few nice trips locally but there were also a far too many days in the 50's, 60's and a couple in the 70's.
By March most normal people are anxiously waiting for warm weather, especially my lovely wife who especially enjoys the Spring season. But knowing Syracuse, she's always got a snowy surprise up her sleeve. (This part was written before Storm Stella)
And sure enough on March 13th the snow intensified and it snowed for 3 days to make for a strong storm named STELLA. On Onondaga Hill we got 28 inches of deep snow. The kids had 2 days off from school and I got a few more days of snowmobiling.
Since a couple winters ago I became a little more obsessed about our winter weather. It may have something to do with my snowmobiling hobby. So I made to sure read up on at least a couple sources and the predictions for Upstate NY. We entered the La Nina weather pattern so that was good news and then the next word that got me excited was, "average." From October to April the average Syracuse snowfall is around 124 inches. So average was better than last year already which totaled at 80.3 inches. Well I learned a new definition for "syracuse average winter weather."
This past winter is best described as bipolar.
White Christmas
January really dashed any hopes of a serious winter. We broke a record at 8.4 inches for the whole month when it should have been ON AVERAGE 35 inches.
In February things picked up a little more with some lake effect snow but it was more serious up north where the snow totals were above 10 feet. A few snowmobiler and I went up north for a day trip of 100 miles to enjoy the white goodness. A couple storms dumped enough snow for a few nice trips locally but there were also a far too many days in the 50's, 60's and a couple in the 70's.
By March most normal people are anxiously waiting for warm weather, especially my lovely wife who especially enjoys the Spring season. But knowing Syracuse, she's always got a snowy surprise up her sleeve. (This part was written before Storm Stella)
The storm provided very unique snowmobiling, ungroomed deep snow! It was my first experience in such deep snow conditions and it turned out to be a lot of fun. It required a lot of movement on the sled to get it to stay on top of the snow. I went with my neighbor for a 15 mile short trip of trailblazing.
To see the video click here.
On the second to last outing, my daughter and I went to grandma's house. It was mid-30's and we saw a nice spot for a perfect photo background.
On my last trip of the season, I didn't go very far because to was really warm in the low 40's and and the trails were officially closed. It was a nice clear weather so there is a beautiful overlook of the city of Syracuse looking north behind Inn of Seasons Restaurant. It's also a great spot when night riding because of the many lights in the valley.
The official Golden Snowball contest, which is a friendly informal contest between Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, Binghampton is the winner with 135.2 inches. The sad truth is Syracuse lost by 1/10 of an inch at 135.1 inches. Last time Binghamton beat Syracuse was in 2001-2002. But in the past 65 years, Syracuse beat Binghamton 60 times.
