Dealing with the Snow
Over the last week and a half, we have been dealing with the largest amount of snowfall in the area that we've seen in quite some time. It's been five years since we dealt with a snowfall as large as the one we had just last week (1/31-2/2) and it's been 18 years since Philadelphia received an inch or more of snow in three consecutive days. All of those benchmarks were accomplished by the same storm!

Beyond that large storm, we also had a few more inches of snow this past Sunday (2/7) and there's more forecasted in the next ten days. Check out below for some historical snow data, how snow impacts us and some snow safety tips!
Our very own Cedar Grove Barn in the snow!
Largest Snowstorms in Philadelphia History
    1.     Jan. 6-8, 1996 - 31 inches of snowfall

     2.     Feb. 5-6, 2010 - 28.5 inches of snowfall

     3.     Dec. 19-20, 2009 - 23.2 inches of snowfall

     4.     Jan. 23-24, 2016 - 22.4 inches of snowfall

     5.     Feb. 11-12, 1983 - 21.3 inches of snowfall

     6.     Dec. 25-26, 1909 - 21 inches of snowfall (A White Christmas!)

     7.     Apr. 3-4, 1915 - 19.4 inches of snowfall

     8.     Feb. 12-14, 1899 - 18.9 inches of snowfall

     9.     Feb. 16-17, 2003 - 18.7 inches of snowfall

   10.   Jan. 22-24, 1935 - 16.7 inches of snowfall

By comparison, the storm from 1/31/21 - 2/2/21 wasn't very daunting at only 8 inches in Philadelphia (more fell in the Philadelphia suburbs). While much smaller than the top ten, it was by far the biggest snowstorm the Philadelphia area has seen in the last five years. It was especially surprising due to the mild winter thus far and the complete lack of snowfall in the area last winter.
Although we might not love the snow as much as we once did as kids, we can all agree that it is an amazing and beautiful type of weather. Snow is more than just a beautiful sight, as it is also an important part of our climate and controlling the temperature across the planet. You can find more information about this below in the link "How Snow Impacts Earth's Climate". You can also find the highest daily snowfall totals in Philadelphia history, our winter health tips from earlier this winter and some awesome winter photos in the links below!
Whitemarsh Township Parks and Recreation | 610-828-7276 | parksandrecreation@whitemarshtwp.org