New Yorkers know that every year won’t bring a white Christmas, but by late January, the city has usually seen enough powder for sleds and snowball fights to make an appearance. That is not the case this winter. It has been 50 years since the city has waited this long for the first measurable snowfall of the season.
It’s a record-tying absence that has made many residents at turns grateful, wistful and worried. Rachel Reuben, a private chef, is quietly pleased she hasn’t seen measurable snow – which is defined as snow sticking above a tenth of an inch – in New York City over the past 325 days.
According to meteorologists, the city is nearing two snow-related milestones. New York City will most likely set a record on Monday for its latest-ever first measurable snow of the winter, beating Jan. 29, 1973. Less than a week later, New York City could eclipse its longest streak of consecutive days without measurable snow. The record currently stands at the 332 days set on December 15, 2020. The last time it snowed was March 22. But even as she enjoys the snow-free weather, Reuben, 66, can’t help but feel somewhat uneasy. “If it’s a harbinger for climate change, then it’s not a happy thing,” Reuben said.
New York City usually sees snow by mid-December, but this snow no-show means New York has fallen more than a month behind its average pace. Conditions were already in place for a relatively warm start to the winter, meteorologists say: The region has been warmer than usual, thanks in part to La Nina that is now on its third consecutive year. This winter’s extreme variation can be seen in a single stretch of upstate New York. Syracuse is one of America’s snowiest cities, averaging more than 120 inches annually, but it has received just 25 inches of snow this winter, putting it three feet behind the norm for the season. Nearby Rochester has received fewer than 15 inches, compared with a typical 50 inches by this time. Yet to the west of both cities lies a pocket of intense snow: Buffalo is having one of its snowiest winters. Around half of this season’s snow was dropped during a single, deadly blizzard.
It’s a record-tying absence that has made many residents at turns grateful, wistful and worried. Rachel Reuben, a private chef, is quietly pleased she hasn’t seen measurable snow – which is defined as snow sticking above a tenth of an inch – in New York City over the past 325 days.
According to meteorologists, the city is nearing two snow-related milestones. New York City will most likely set a record on Monday for its latest-ever first measurable snow of the winter, beating Jan. 29, 1973. Less than a week later, New York City could eclipse its longest streak of consecutive days without measurable snow. The record currently stands at the 332 days set on December 15, 2020. The last time it snowed was March 22. But even as she enjoys the snow-free weather, Reuben, 66, can’t help but feel somewhat uneasy. “If it’s a harbinger for climate change, then it’s not a happy thing,” Reuben said.
New York City usually sees snow by mid-December, but this snow no-show means New York has fallen more than a month behind its average pace. Conditions were already in place for a relatively warm start to the winter, meteorologists say: The region has been warmer than usual, thanks in part to La Nina that is now on its third consecutive year. This winter’s extreme variation can be seen in a single stretch of upstate New York. Syracuse is one of America’s snowiest cities, averaging more than 120 inches annually, but it has received just 25 inches of snow this winter, putting it three feet behind the norm for the season. Nearby Rochester has received fewer than 15 inches, compared with a typical 50 inches by this time. Yet to the west of both cities lies a pocket of intense snow: Buffalo is having one of its snowiest winters. Around half of this season’s snow was dropped during a single, deadly blizzard.