Has It Really Been A Quiet Winter?

Lately, a lot of buzz has been going around New England about what a "quiet winter" we've been experiencing. Aside from the serious storm we experienced last week, some may believe that the "quiet winter" myth is truthful.

So, we've been busy doing our homework, and we have some data to share with you about how "quiet" it really has not been.

The data included below was provided by WeatherWorks Certified Snow Totals and our previous billings based on averages for property locations in Danvers, MA.

What the Data Means:

2014-2015:

• The year started off slow but then we saw historic snowfall
• Winter Storm Juno dumped up to 30" of snow across much of the Northeast
• The season totaled at 116 inches of accumulating snowfall
• De-icing events were above average

2015-2016:

• The year was an El Nino year and we experienced very mild temperatures and dry conditions throughout the first half of the season
• Christmas Eve in Boston 2015 was a record breaking 66 degrees
• Headlines read, "Warm December Weather Confuses Even the Flowers"
• The season totaled only 40 inches of accumulating snowfall, below the average of 58 inches
• 42.5 de-icing events were close to the average amount of 45 for a season in our area

2016-2017:

• This year has brought a mix bag of weather
• We have seen stretches of below average temperatures followed by record high temperatures
• The end of February was very warm and Spring was in the air; until a massive coastal storm, Storm Stella reminded us of where we live
• As of 3/15/17 we have had 62.6 inches of accumulating snow and 62 de-icing events, both totals above average

Although many people feel that this has been a "quiet" year, the snow totals and number of events show differently.

Director of Snow & Ice, Jeremy Fish's Thoughts:

"2016-2017 has been an interesting season in that January and February were above average months in regard to temperature but this has in no way been a "light winter". While there were many days that felt like Spring, overall, snowfall has actually been a couple of inches above average. December was a very active month with three plowing events and almost four times the average bulk de-icing applications. Despite some 60 degree weather at the end of February, we saw five plowing events and over 30 inches of snow at some properties".

Chief Visionary, Jon Crandall's Thoughts:

"I will agree that the 2016-2017 season has been somewhat mild, however it has been a sort of roller coaster due to the frost and thaw cycles. The high frequency of these cycles caused for a much higher need for de-icing on hard surfaces".