Climatological Overview of the Period from 1955 to 1985

Abstract

The mean distribution of seasonal snowfall over the northeastern corner of the United States is largely dependent upon latitude (Fig. 1), ranging from 15 cm in the southeastern corner of Virginia to greater than 250 cm across sections of central and northern New England, New York, and West Virginia. The increase in snowfall at higher latitudes is skewed from southwest to northeast by the Atlantic Ocean’s moderating influence on temperatures near the coastline. The effect of elevation on temperature also shapes the distribution of snowfall, as demonstrated by the snowfall maxima over mountainous inland sections. The primary source of snowfall in this region is from midlatitude cyclonic weather systems. Areas adjacent to the Great Lakes and the highlands of West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, and Maryland, however, also receive significant snowfall from the passage of cold, continental air over the relatively warm surfaces of the Great Lakes, in concert with orographic effects.