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White Christmases abound in much of the United States this year – especially across the Midwest, which was hit by a strong and long-lasting snowstorm beginning Dec. 21 and extending into Dec. 24 in some areas.
The National Weather Service reported that 10 to 16 inches of snow blanketed portions of Ohio west of Interstate 71 and that Cincinnati in southwest Ohio could get as much as 20 inches.
Records were smashed across the region where places like Dayton, Ohio set new records for 24-hour storm totals. The Web site WeatherMatrix.net reports that the Dayton area set a new 24-hour storm total and single-storm total of 16 inches over Dec. 22 and 23. This broke the previous records from 1978 which were each just under 13 inches.
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Cold air behind the front causing the storm will last in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions for several days.
Parts of Indiana also have been declared snow emergencies and Governor Joe Kernan urged drivers to remain off the roads. According to WISH-TV in Indianapolis, 15 counties remained under snow emergencies as of 9 a.m. on Dec. 24.
But the northerly states weren’t the only areas being blasted by winter weather during the busiest days of the holiday season. The Associated Press reports that Paducah, Ky. Received 14 inches of snow, topping the yearly average of 10 inches and doubling its previous one-day record. In other parts of southern and central Kentucky, ice was two to four inches thick.
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Moreover, central Arkansas is experiencing its first white Christmas since 1990 – only the ninth since 1885. The snowfall, evidently, is right on time as forecasters in North Little Rock, Ark., say the area sees snow on the ground at Christmas an average of every 14 years.
Areas including Mount Ida, Ark., saw 7 inches of snow as of Wednesday night, Dec. 22; Mammoth Spring had 3.5 inches and the Little Rock airport recorded 2.7 inches.
With heavy snowfall in the North and a few unexpected inches in the South, snow removal contractors will likely remain busy into next week and, perhaps, through the first of the year. At the end of November, Lawn & Landscape Online conducted a poll with results that are certain to have changed with this winter storm system. As of Nov. 29, only 20 percent of respondents said they had already seen more than one snow or ice event and had to mobilize their snow management crews. An additional 16 percent said their crews had been out once to handle winter weather for clients. Seven percent of contractors expected to see snow during the first week of December, while 22 percent expected the snowfall to hold off until the mid-to-late-December. Four percent of contractors said they didn’t expect much snow this year, though the current system of winter weather may have changed their outlooks slightly. Thirty-one percent of respondents said their companies do not operate snow and ice management crews.
Visit Lawn & Landscape Online often this winter for updates on snow and ice events, as well as tips on effectively coordinating snow management crews, shoveling safety, interviews with snow and ice management contractors and more. Also, be sure to visit Lawn & Landscape Online’s sister Web site Snow Business Online for more information on the snow and ice removal industry. Online Message Boards at both Web sites welcome your commentary on industry issues and give you opportunities to discuss snow and ice events with other contractors around the country.