Synoptic Descriptions of Major Snowstorms: Snowfall and Surface Features

Abstract

In this chapter, the distribution of heavy snowfall and surface features are summarized for 30 major snowstorms that affected the Northeast urban corridor between 1950 and 2000. Estimates of the areal coverage for snowfall amounts exceeding 10 (25), 20 (50), and 30 in. (75 cm) and a normalized population distribution (using the 1999 census) affected by heavy snowfall are provided in Fig. 3-1 and Table 3-1. These estimates are generated using a Geographic Information System (GIS) software package developed by Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), applied to the snowfall distributions for all 30 cases. The numbers contained in these estimates not only convey a comparative measure of the snowfall coverage of each storm but can also be viewed as a potential measure of the impact these storms had on the general population. Such measures are weighted toward the largest cities, precisely where the greatest impact on the largest numbers of people would be expected to occur. A measure of the areal coverage of the storms and its relation to the population lends itself to the formulation of an area- and population-weighted scale that provides a useful perspective on these storms’ relative impact that can be communicated to the general public. A Northeast Snowstorm Impact Scale (NESIS; also see Kocin and Uccellini 2004), its formulation based on the principles above and application toward a quantitative rating of these storms and examples, is presented in chapter 8.