This feels like a broken record. As I am sitting here writing this article, I am looking out the window to my yard and daydreaming. It looks like a winter wonderland as the snow hangs tightly on the dead tree branches. Kids are running down the street to their homes as they got dismissed early from school. I am tired of the snow and all the hours of time I waste trying to forecast it correctly, but this is what you have to deal with when you live here.

So, you may (or may not) be wondering why we are getting this snow today. Well, it’s time for you to learn a new weather term. We had a phenomenon called “cold air damming.” This happens when a high pressure to our north spins clockwise, pushing cold air against the Appalachian Mountains. The air moving up into our atmosphere cools and slows down, allowing the cold air to stay in place over the area. Once the high pressure moves away, the cold air erodes and warm air begins taking over, hence why we get a changeover to sleet and rain.

Even though it may feel like we have had plenty of snow days this season, we are actually snow-deprived in the Philadelphia area.

Our biggest snow this season happened on November 15, 2018. Philadelphia received 3.6 inches of snow, which then quickly washed away when it turned into a sloppy sleet and rain mix later in the afternoon. Rowan even closed the campus early that day.

So far, Philadelphia has picked up 10.3 inches of snow between November and February. Today’s snow will add another two to four inches to the seasonal total and may be considered our biggest storm this season. Our average snow total for the season is around 15 inches.

After this most recent slop-fest, the weather will turn milder and the threat for snow will remain low. However, I will recommend keeping an umbrella on standby for the weekend as rainy weather returns on Saturday.

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