NOUS41 KCTP 011952
PNSCTP
PAZ028-037-041-042-046-049>053-056>059-063>066-020748-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
250 PM EST TUE MAR 1 2005

THE WINTER (DECEMBER-FEBRUARY) OF 2004-05 WILL GO DOWN IN THE RECORD 
BOOKS AS PRETTY NON REMARKABLE IN HARRISBURG AND WILLIAMSPORT.
OVERALL THE WINTER ENDED UP WARMER AND JUST A LITTLE SNOWIER THAN
NORMAL IN BOTH CITIES. THE SNOW THAT FELL ON THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY
JUST BARELY PUSHED BOTH LOCATIONS UP OVER THE NORMAL MARK...OTHERWISE
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CLEAN SWEEP IN BOTH IN THE TEMPERATURE AND
SNOWFALL DEPARTMENTS. 

THIS MARKS THE FIRST RELATIVELY MILD WINTER SINCE 2001-02. IT MIGHT
BE RECALLED THAT THE LAST 2 WINTERS WERE COLDER THAN NORMAL AND ALSO
SNOWIER THAN NORMAL ACROSS CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.

THE WINTER SUMMARY IN HARRISBURG:

THE TRADITIONAL WINTER COMPRISES THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER THROUGH
FEBRUARY. THIS MOST RECENT WINTER SAW AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 33.6
DEGREES...WHICH WAS A FULL DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL. 

WINTER PRECIPITATION WAS A BIT ABOVE NORMAL. MELTED PRECIPITATION FOR
THE 3 MONTHS WAS 9.69 INCHES...OR .41 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. SNOWFALL
WAS 26.6 WHICH WAS BARELY ABOVE NORMAL...AT JUST .6 INCHES MORE THAN
AVERAGE.

NONE OF THESE STATISTICS WILL MANAGE TO CRACK THE TOP FIVE IN ANY
CATEGORY FROM PAST WINTERS. THE COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD WAS WAY BACK
IN 1904 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 23.1 WHICH WAS 9.5 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL. THE WARMEST WAS 1931 WHEN THE AVERAGE WAS 40.2 DEGREES
WHICH WAS 7.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

THE WETTEST WINTER WAS 1978 WHEN 16.70 INCHES OF MELTED PRECIPITATION
FELL DURING THE 3 MONTH PERIOD. THIS WAS 7.42 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
THE DRIEST WINTER WAS JUST A YEAR LATER IN 1979 WHEN ONLY 3.18 INCHES
OF PRECIPITATION FELL. THIS WAS 6.10 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

PERHAPS THE THING MOST REMEMBER ABOUT ANY SEVERE WINTER IS THE
SNOWFALL. THE SNOWIEST WINTER ON RECORD IS 1960 WHEN 74.8 INCHES OF
SNOW FELL OVER THE 3 MONTHS. THAT WAS A WHOPPING 48.8 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL. THE WINTER MOST SNOW-STARVED WAS 1931 WHEN JUST 2.4 INCHES OF
SNOW FELL. THIS WAS 23.6 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

===================

THE WINTER SUMMARY IN WILLIAMSPORT

THE TRADITIONAL WINTER COMPRISES THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER THROUGH
FEBRUARY. THIS MOST RECENT WINTER SAW AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 29.7
DEGREES...WHICH WAS 1.5 DEGREES ABOVE ABOVE NORMAL.

WINTER PRECIPITATION WAS A BIT ABOVE NORMAL. MELTED PRECIPITATION FOR
THE 3 MONTHS WAS 10.87 INCHES...OR 2.47 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. SNOWFALL
WAS 29.0 WHICH WAS BARELY ABOVE NORMAL...AT JUST .7 INCHES MORE THAN
AVERAGE.

NONE OF THESE STATISTICS WILL MANAGE TO CRACK THE TOP FIVE IN ANY
CATEGORY FROM PAST WINTERS. THE COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD WAS WAY BACK
IN 1917 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 21.5 WHICH WAS 6.7 DEGREES
BELOW NORMAL. THE WARMEST WAS 1931 WHEN THE AVERAGE WAS 36.9 DEGREES
WHICH WAS 8.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

THE WETTEST WINTER WAS 1914 WHEN 14.86 INCHES OF MELTED PRECIPITATION
FELL DURING THE 3 MONTH PERIOD. THIS WAS 6.46 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
THE DRIEST WINTER WAS 1979 WHEN ONLY 3.55 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
FELL. THIS WAS 4.85 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

PERHAPS THE THING MOST REMEMBER ABOUT ANY SEVERE WINTER IS THE
SNOWFALL. THE SNOWIEST WINTER ON RECORD IS 1963 WHEN 74.0 INCHES OF
SNOW FELL OVER THE 3 MONTHS. THAT WAS A WHOPPING 45.7 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL. THE WINTER MOST SNOW-STARVED WAS 1988 WHEN JUST 4.5 INCHES OF
SNOW FELL. THIS WAS 23.8 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

$$
LA CORTE