2019–20 North American winter
The 2019–20 North American winter was unusually warm for many parts of the United States; in many areas, neutral ENSO conditions controlled the weather patterns, resulting in the sixth-warmest winter on record, and many areas in the Northeastern United States saw one of the least snowy winters in years. In fact, Baltimore and Islip saw no snow in February for the first time. Some notable events still occurred, such as a powerful blizzard that impacted the Western United States in late November, a series of cold shots in January and February, a snowstorm within the Texas Panhandle and a late-season blizzard in the High Plains.
2019–20 North American winter | |
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Winter storms over the US and Canada on November 27, 2019 | |
Seasonal boundaries | |
Meteorological winter | December 1 – February 29 |
Astronomical winter | December 21 – March 19 |
Most notable event | |
Name | November 26 – December 3, 2019 North American blizzard |
• Duration | November 26–December 3, 2019 |
Seasonal statistics | |
Maximum snowfall accumulation | 114 inches (290 cm) (Homewood, California) |
Total fatalities | 21 total |
Total damage | Unknown |
While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, there are two definitions of winter which may be used. Based on the astronomical definition, winter begins at the winter solstice, which in 2019 occurred on December 21, and ends at the March equinox, which in 2020 occurred on March 19. Based on the meteorological definition, the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 29. Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months, with some variability. Winter is often defined by meteorologists to be the three calendar months with the lowest average temperatures. Since both definitions span the calendar year, it is possible to have a winter storm spanning two different years.