Historically, when do you see your first snow? Then,.. when does winter really set in? My first snow is scheduled for Tuesday, a few weeks early. I usually figure Halloween as the start of true burning season- 24/7. How about you folks?
Meteorologically, they don't count it as"the first snow fall" until we get an inch of snow accumulation. Here that's averaging about December 2nd. Now, we get show before that. I count it when we get the frat flurries that collect on any amount of grass. That can happen in October, usually later October at earliest, but usually in November. What elevation are you at?
Colorado I had more Sept snow storms of 1' or more, but consider many winters start very end of Oct, as I also recall many summer'ish Oct's. Then Chinooks in Nov, many times summer'ish again. I guess I cannot pin down a time but end of Oct a good marker. Here, Sept and occasionally Oct.
Living in paradise here, our first snowfall usually happens in the first part of Dec and last about 1/2 day. January can be our cold month. BUT it can start raining towards the end of Oct and not stop until April.
Our heating season has nothing to do with snow. The muddy ground never even freezes for more than a week or so. It gets dark, wet, cool, wet, muddy for about 9 months per year starting in a few weeks normally.
Normally, in Nov. But it is hit or miss. I've seen it snow before Halloween, (big storm) and other times no snow on the ground at Christmas. Both are exceptions. I don't care at all about having snow, but snow is money around here. Collision repairs count on it. Then there is the recreational part of it. Lots of guys depend on the plow money to pay for their truck. Maine is a hard place to live in during the winter unless you are prepared.
We typically don't see snow before October 20. Sometimes not until Halloween here. When we lived further north, snow would start showing in late September but to stay on the ground we usually had to wait until mid November. Then we usually did not see bare ground until sometime in April. Our heating season is now very close as it normally starts mid September.
Historically here, it could be October, or November, or December, or January, ........then again it could be in the sixties and seventies any of those times as well.
heck in WI it can be 70 with the sunshining and an hour or so later be 30 degs and falling with Mother nature throwing everything in her book at us. Typically first snowflakes start appearing towards the end of Oct. Generally for those plowing that is right around the end of Nov. for a plowable snowfall but anything is possible in Nov. Late Nov. can be nothing or Mother Nature tossing a hissy fit. Lake Michigan and Superior have a large impact on us.
Very unpredictable winter's here in east of the Cascades Oregon. Snow can start on Halloween but usually November 15. At 3000 ft alot of winter's are mild with occasional 2-6 inch snowfall and never get colder than 10F. A bad winter will have a 20 inch snowpack hang around like an unwanted inlaw, and at times it will just get cold as in -5 at night for a week straight. 2 years ago we got snow dumped in the last week of March, something like a 26 inch accumulation in 5 days. Other times March is very nice with 65 F highs and we do alot of outdoor activities. Most years the snowfall ends about Feb 15. The higher elevations of course get alot more snow.
About every ten years or so we'll get flurries on Halloween, maybe even a dusting on the ground. Real snow usually isn't until after Thanksgiving.
First light snow is usually sometime in the second half of November. Sometimes late October. It’s not unusual to get really dry Decembers where its cold but no snow. Not the worst thing in the world. January through March can vary a lot with storms. Sometimes a lot of rain, sometimes dry or sporadic snowstorms. Some years we get a decent storm every single week most of the winter. The last snow flurries we had this past spring were in early May! Usually by mid April winter is all done.
We had 101 today and 10 day forecast calls for 33 and rain Tuesday night. With a high in the lower 50s on Wednesday. I’m hoping to not have to light the stove before October 15, and not start burning 24/7 until mid November. I finally got a fair amount of wood stacked up and don’t wanna see it leave
