Early snow forecast no surprise to New Yorkers

By Associated Press, 10/6/2000 16:26

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) Bing Crosby may dream of a White Christmas but folks in New York and New England could be having nightmares of a white Halloween.

For the first full weekend in October, meteorologists already are predicting snow in the region. Forecasts calls for mixed rain and snow, particularly in higher elevations in the western part of the state.

It should just be the wet stuff that turns to slush within a few hours of landing, not sticking around too long, said Arthur DeGaetano, a senior climatologist at Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center. DeGaetano wonders what the fuss is about.

''I don't think it's that unusual for us to see snow here,'' DeGaetano said. ''For this part of the region, I don't think it's particularly early.''

In 1987, New England was hit with an early October snowstorm that stretched south to West Virginia, dumping up to 20 inches of snow in the Northeast, knocking out power for about 900,000 and stranding would-be leaf-peepers. About 70 miles of the Massachusetts Turnpike was closed.

In 1991, Maine saw snowfall as early as Sept. 29.

The most snow to fall early around the area was in the nor'easter of 1953. Few storms in history have been as unexpected as this one, when at least half a foot blanketed the east coast as far south as Virginia. Central and western New York got hit with 10 to 20 inches during that storm.

And while weather analysts don't see that kind of snow coming, they aren't surprised that we will see snow.

''Most places north of here have had accumulating snows already,'' DeGaetano said.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/280/region/Early_snow_forecast_no_surpris:.shtml

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), October 06, 2000