Historical snow

[Willh]

Hi

Any ideas or theories regarding the massive increase in reported snowfall over the course of the 20th century? It would seem the avg yearly snowfall went from 130ish inches a year circa 1900-1940s to 210+ 1970s on.

What is this attributable to? Differences in measuring? Actual climate shift?

Thanks

 

[jd]

I have a very strong feeling it is the differences in measuring. While I do not know how, when or where the records prior to the 1950's were taken, I suspect that they were only done once a day, so settling would have caused different numbers from what we get with multiple measurements in a 24 hour period (can be up to 4, no closer than 6 hours apart). Also, they might have been measuring in a poor spot, meaning one that could get scoured by winds. In any case, I put very little emphasis in the numbers prior to when the NWS took over, which I believe was in the late 40's. About the only thing I can infer from the previous numbers were up and down years based on that set of numbers.

-John