Northeast coastal cities set snowfall records

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Seven locations in the Northeast set snowfall records for the winter season, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

Records fell in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Hartford, Conn., Providence, R.I., Dulles Airport, Va., outside Washington, D.C., and Charleston, W.Va.

"It's obvious, but the season got off to a fast start, then really slowed down in February," said Keith Eggleston, regional climatologist at the Northeast Regional Climate Center. "The position of the jet stream brought a lot of storms to the Northeast coast early, particularly in January when conditions were favorable for Nor'easters." The snow season runs from Oct. 1 through May.

Baltimore's old record was set in the winter of 1963-64, when 51.8 inches of snow fell. This year's accumulations measured 58.4 inches for the season, starting from Oct. 1 through March 3. The old record in Providence was 48 years old, but the city beat the old mark by 10 inches through March 3.

Hartford, Conn., has beaten the old snowfall total by about 10.6 inches. The city set its 84.9 inches mark in 1993-94 but broke it this season with 95.5 inches so far.

By just a half-inch, New York City, measured at Central Park, broke the 48-year-old record March 2. Since the winter of 1947-48, New York City's total season snow accumulation stood at 63.2 inches, beat this weekend with 63.8 inches.

Philadelphia beat a 97-year-old record by 4.2 inches, as the city has seen 59.6 inches this season. The old record was 55.4 inches.

The heavy snowfall recorded at Washington's Dulles Airport in suburban northern Virginia handily beat an old record set in 1963-64 by 10 inches through March 3. The airport has measured 54.6 inches so far this season.

Some locations in the Northeast surprisingly received less snow than normal. The usually snowy Caribou, Maine, has received but 80.8 inches of the white stuff this season, about 4.2 inches below the normal of 85 inches.

Other traditionally snowy places received more than their normal amounts but still were far from record amounts. Syracuse, N.Y., which gets 110 inches normally, has received 137 inches through March 3. That city is still far from its 192.1 inch record set in 1992-93.

Buffalo, N.Y. normally gets about 93 inches of snow annually, but although they have seen 117.6 inches this season, they are far from the 199.4 inches set 19 years ago.

-30- Seasonal snowfall summary for the Northeast (all values in inches)

City              95-96 Seasonal Total   Previous Record    Year of 
                    through March 3                         Occurrence          
Syracuse, N.Y.            137.0            192.1            1992-93
Elkins, W.Va.             120.6            125.1            1993-94
Buffalo, N.Y.             117.6            199.4            1976-77
Erie, Pa.                 108.8            142.8            1977-78
Binghamton, N.Y.          103.9            131.3            1993-94
Hartford, Conn.            95.5             84.9            1993-94
Rochester, N.Y.            97.6            161.7            1959-60
Portland, Maine            94.7            141.5            1970-71
Boston, Mass.              87.9             96.3            1993-94
Charleston, W.Va.          86.1             76.6            1977-78
Providence, R.I.           85.6             75.6            1947-48
Concord, N.H.              83.5            100.0            1971-72
Caribou, Maine             80.8            181.1            1954-55
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa. 79.7             90.4            1993-94
Ithaca, N.Y.               79.1            122.2            1977-78
Williamsport, Pa.          75.8             83.6            1977-78
Burlington, Vt.            75.7            145.4            1970-71
Cleveland, Ohio            74.2            100.5            1981-82
Newark, N.J.               70.3             72.6            1960-61
Albany, N.Y.               66.1            112.5            1970-71
New York City              63.8             63.2            1947-48
Pittsburgh, Pa.            60.9             76.8            1993-94
Philadelphia, Pa.          59.6             55.4            1898-99
Bridgeport, Conn.          58.9             61.6            1966-67
Baltimore, Md.             58.4             51.8            1963-64
Washington Dulles AP, Va.  54.6             44.6            1963-64
Huntington, W.Va.          39.5             55.7            1977-78
Richmond, Va.              28.9             38.9            1961-62

* Denotes new seasonal record Data compiled by the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.

Data through March 3, 1996

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