Why Philadelphia snow lovers shouldn't give up hope yet
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We don't need to remind snow lovers that it has been an unseasonably mild and snow-starved winter this year. To date, as of Feb. 27, Philadelphia has recorded only 0.3 inches of snow. In a normal year, we'd have seen 18.5 inches already.
This winter is currently tied with the winter of 2019-2020 for the least snow in a winter season.
Only one winter has had less snow than that one -- the winter of 1972-73, which only recorded a trace all season, nothing measurable at all.
The setup this winter has not been conducive to snowfall. Any cold snaps we've had have been brief and transient, and none have been able to meet up with any significant moisture. All of our moisture has come on mild days and has fallen in the form of rain.
But fans of winter weather shouldn't give up hope yet!
Historically, we have had significant winter weather in Philadelphia even late in the season.
In the not-too-distant past, you might remember the four nor'easter month of March 2018. These four storms combined for over 15 inches of snow in Philadelphia, with some spots north and west receiving over a foot in just the final storm, which came just in time for the start of spring on March 2020-2021 and was the heaviest spring snow in 60 years.
Philadelphia has even seen a spring snowstorm that produced over a foot of snow -- 19.0 inches fell on April 3, 1915. This remains the latest 12-inch-plus snowfall of all time in Philadelphia.
And we've even seen measurable snow into late April!
The latest measurable snow (0.1) in Philadelphia history came on April 27, 1967.
While there certainly has been a precedent for late-season and spring snow in Philadelphia, we would need to see a significant pattern shift in the coming weeks in order to get any major snowstorms, with some colder air on the way and a more active storm track setting up for early March, it's not out of the question.
And if you're wondering whether we need to just get used to these warm, snowless winters, I wouldn't go that far.
One trend we are seeing in a changing climate is that extremes are becoming, well, more extreme, so while you may have one winter that swings extremely warm and dry, you could just as easily see another winter with massive amounts of snow.
It all depends on the connection between cold and moisture, and data has shown that storms in recent years are trending toward heavier precipitation amounts.
