Pittsburgh sees record monthly snowfall -- and more is on the way
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Pittsburgh's record for snowfall in one month was broken Thursday morning.
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February 2010, the shortest month of the year, will long be remembered in Pittsburgh.
Memories of the snowiest month we ever experienced will be shared at backyard barbecues, on golf course tee boxes and in poolside chairs. Years from now, parents will revisit the details in stories to their children.
And they won't have to exaggerate.
The eight-tenths of an inch of snow that fell Thursday on Western Pennsylvania increased the total for the month to 40.8 inches, surpassing the 40.2-inch record established for the region in January 1978.
What's more, neither the month nor the snow is finished. The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a winter weather advisory through 7 tonight that promises to boost the record anywhere from 4 to 7 inches. Additional snow showers are forecast through the weekend.
"Some places will see light flurries for a little while and then a sharp increase," said Zaaron Allen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "It will vary from place to place and time to time."
When it's over, February 2010 not only will hold the record for snowiest month, but it also will be the nutty kernel of a winter that ranks among the snowiest since they started keeping records in 1884.
The snowfall for the winter of 2009-10, as of Thursday night, was 69 inches and ranked eighth on the all-time list. The top seven snowiest seasons in Pittsburgh have been: 1950-51 (82 inches); 1913-14 (78.5); 1993-94 (76.8); 1960-61 (76.0); 1995-96 (74.5); 1992-93 (72.1); and 1969-70 (70.7), all of which are within a foot or so.
Despite putting this month in the record books, the current snowstorm affecting Pittsburgh might not be much of a bother. The problem was what came down in the first part of February, a pounding of more than 2 feet of snow, the remnants of which still stand in dirty, hard-packed piles in every neighborhood.
"Almost half of the month's snow was in one event," Mr. Allen said. "But there's really no way to forecast record snow events. We're somewhat limited. Just like forecasting any historic event. It's historic for a reason; it doesn't happen very much."
First Published February 26, 2010 12:00 am
