N. Hemisphere snow tied for 27th lowest but Southern Alps persist

The Northern Hemisphere tied with 1993 for the 27th lowest snow extent on record in January 2024, but many spots persist across the hemisphere.

Snowfall in the southern Alps of Switzerland, for example, has been ongoing since Thursday of last week, with several feet piling up. Residents and business owners are busy clearing roads, roofs, and walkways as the snowfall continues.

Between 31 and 43 inches of snow have fallen in the highest peaks of the southern Alps in southern Switzerland since Thursday, February 22, with some local spots receiving up to 60 inches! Although the Northern Hemisphere is below average when it comes to snowfall extent, the Southern Alps are having an above-average season.

When we say that the Northern Hemisphere is below average for snow extent, we mean all the Northern Hemisphere combined. Some spots can always have above-average seasons within the below-average whole.

Many of the higher peaks of the southern Alps are averaging snowpacks of nearly 6.5 feet. Through Wednesday, an average of another 4 inches could be added to the snowpack, with locally higher amounts.

So, what about the rest of the Northern Hemisphere? As of January 2024, the snow extent was 135,000 square miles below the 1991-2020 average, according to NOAA NCEI. Areas that saw below-average snow extent included central and southern Europe, Turkey, central Asia, Nepal, and western China.

However, North America (U.S. and Canada) and Greenland observed a well-above-average snow extent by January 2024 – 143,000 square miles above the average between 1991 and 2020.

Closer to home, the northern Rockies and Upper Midwest had below-average January 2024 snowfall due to warmer temperatures and less storm activity – but we’ve seen a big change in the West with the recent atmospheric river events in February.

Although we’re just days away from Meteorological Spring, snowfall is still possible throughout the season. We’ll see in the February 2024 report just how much the northern hemisphere bounced back with snowfall extent.