Historically, Winter Lingers in New England

February is the time to finalize mild weather vacations and start thinking of purchasing shorts. Not so fast on the shorts, if anything, history has shown us that winter has a hard time letting go. When the weather is mild and the need for a heavy overcoat is not needed one day, rest assured, the next day will require boots and an ice scraper for the car’s windshield.

Nor’easters

Without a doubt, New Englanders can depend on whopping snow storms late in the “winter” season. When other parts of the United States start to experience a consistent thaw, residents of the Northeast know better. One weather system that causes people in northeastern part of the United States to stock up on food and make sure there is plenty of firewood at the ready is the nor’easter.

Nor’easters are formed when cold Canadian air mixes with warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico.

This is how it works:

• The polar jet stream transports cold air south out of Canada, while pushing it east toward the Atlantic Ocean
• Once the Canadian air mass hits the coast it interacts with warm air moving north from the Gulf of Mexico
• Once the cold and warm air collide, the warm air starts to fuel the system
• The Atlantic Ocean current then moves the volatile mass northward

Although these types of storms can happen any time of year, the period between September and April bring the most to the coastal region of the northern United States. Heavily populated northern cities along interstate 95 are impacted the most, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. Nor’easters are responsible for heavy rainfall/snowfall, strong winds, coastal flooding, and rough seas.

May Snowmen

Since the time frame nor’easters hit New England extends through the month of April, riding out the storm in front of a wood burning fire is a realistic setting for St. Patrick’s and the Easter holidays. Three out of the ten worst snowstorms ever recorded in New England over the last 60 years have happened in the month of March:

• March 11-14, 1888
• March 3-5, 1960
• March 12-14, 1996

However, snow storms continue way past the April time frame of typical nor’easters. In fact, the latest recorded snowfall in New England was just a couple of years ago on May 16th, 2016. It wasn’t a dusting of snow either. In fact, five inches of snow were recorded in the Caswell and New Sweden, Maine that year.

So, before you break out the summer clothes and flip flops, make sure to be ready for snow until at least Memorial Day, just to be safe! Then get ready to light the firepit and roast marshmallows to make some s’mores. Warmer weather will eventually make it’s way to our doors. In the meantime, make the most of it by riding out the lingering winter weather in front of the wood burning fireplace with family and friends. 

Premier Firewood Has You Covered During the Next Nor’easter

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