Only 19% of USA is covered in snow; Wichita warmer than Las Vegas

[Newsjock]

Source: Los Angeles Times

... In New York City, where "unseasonably mild" and "balmy" have been the forecasts of late, temperatures this week have been at least 10 to 20 degrees warmer than the usual average high of 39, a pattern seen across much of the eastern half of the country.

In Wichita, Kan., where the average high temperature last month was 37, about 6 degrees above normal, it hit 62 on Thursday — warmer than Las Vegas. Washington topped out at 56 on Thursday. In Chicago, where the average January day is 29.5 degrees, it was 59 on the last day of the month.

"A measly 19%" of the country was covered in snow, according to Weather.com. New York City, which last year was staggering beneath 36 inches of snow by Feb. 1, has seen just 4 inches fall so far this winter, and the remnants of the last storm melted away long ago.

... It's mild," said (Paul) Pastelok, a meteorologist from AccuWeather, in one of the bigger understatements of the season. "The departures have been way above normal this season, maybe in a top five or top 10 category," he said when asked to rank how unusual the winter from the Plains eastward had been in terms of temperatures and lack of snow.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-weird-weather-20120203,0,4035759.story

[gopiscrap]

1. We had 6 inches of snow last month

which is quite a bit more than average for us in Tacoma, Washington

[Newsjock]

3. And it's been 60 below around Fairbanks

Many more extremes -- high, low, dry, wet -- almost everywhere.

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Twice as much snow as normal in Anchorage

and a record cold January, although it has warmed up over the past couple of days.

[handmade34]

4. very troubling

[msongs]

5. blizzard warnings for east Colorado, Kansas, parts of Nebraska for tomorrow. there ya go nt

[madrchsod]

6. this ain`t good

could be a really bad year for the crops across the country

[Lugnut]

7. I've never seen anything like this.

Our snow deficit is in the double digits range. The local ski areas had the benefit of cold dry nights to make snow or there would be no trails open. It was warm enough for us on Tuesday to sit outside for a time in the afternoon when it was warm enough for only a sweatshirt.

I'm in the Pocono Mountains of NE PA where we're used to shoveling and plowing a lot of snow by now. It just hasn't happened and it doesn't look promising for anything different in the extended weather forecast. This is not good.