From record snow to record warmth

by: Sarah Wroblewski Updated:

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What a difference a year makes….

This time last year, the city of Boston was buried under a 100” of snow. We were continuing to climb closer to the snowiest winter ever recorded in Boston with 110.6”. So far this year, we’ve seen less than a quarter of that. We’ve picked up 25.4” of snow so far, typically we see about 33” this time of year. The average the entire season is about 43.8”.

Less snow this year largely due to the very mild temperatures. So far, this winter we’ve seen a record 33 days of 50 degrees or higher in Boston. Last winter we only had 9! We also have seen 8 days of 60 degrees or higher. The mild days in December, January and so far this month have put Boston in the number two spot for the warmest winter on record. (For record keeping and consistency, the months of December, January and February are used for a winter period by the National Weather Service.) Just to compare… last winter we were #120.

While it has been mild, we’ve also seen a more active pattern develop the second half of winter. This trend looks to continue into next month, so I wouldn’t say we’re done with winter just yet. Remember we typically can see 7” of snow in the month of March in Boston. Last year, we saw just slightly higher than that. Also interesting to point out, one of Boston’s biggest snowstorms on record occurred March 31st-April 1st 1997 with over 2 feet of snow! Remember that one?? So all it could take is one big storm, and we could be double our season total.