OSNW3 | OSHKOSH-NORTH

Meteorological winter has come to an end. It has been a season of extraordinary learning accompanied by many, many snow measurements. Since the last blog entry it has snowed seven times and I've taken at least twice as many measurements. Twenty-one inches of snow fell this February at OSNW3 which is more than double the average snowfall for Oshkosh. We maintained almost a ten inch snow depth for the month but not with out a complete melt down over a seven day stretch with temperatures topping the freezing mark to start the second half. The final week knocked the spring fever out of the air reminding all of us winter really wasn't over. March looks to be an active month trending toward the wintry side peaking near the end of the month with the fourth iteration of the Great Lakes Cyclone . Spring will be delayed a few weeks compared to last year with our first real taste not until the second week of April. March Forecast – Based on Lezak’s Recurring Cycle - Jeremy Nelson Wea...

I was quickly taking a snowfall measurement the night of Feb 7 and recall snow creeping into the top of my boots onto my bare feet inside. That got me thinking about the depth of our current snow pack and how it is relatively deep at the moment. Our snow pack has been on the rise since the new year thaw and hovering around a double digit depth since the beginning of February. Maintaining a below freezing maximum temperature all but one day since Jan 1 has helped our snow pack stick around and deepen. The 2010-11 Winter Duration Graph shows this fairly well. We are now in our 55th day of winter according to the definition of a winter season at OSNW3. This tide is changing in the coming week however, as temperatures are forecast to rise above freezing on multiple days. Remember New Years Eve? That portion of the pattern is cycling back around. Keep up on the latest forecast by visiting the Oshkosh Weather Brief link below. The January climate summary can be found here . ( OSNW3 ...