Where is the snow? snow coverage for December is the lowest in 18 years

 

Where is the snow? US snow coverage for early December is the lowest in 18 years.

  Americans from the Pacific to the Atlantic put up Christmas lights and light a candelabra without the usual winter scenes—winter, white, and snow-covered snowflakes. Where is he?

Well, almost nowhere in the US, it seems.

as of December 2, only 8.6% of the neighboring United States is covered in snow, according to data from (NWS).  At this time in 2020, this figure was 16%, and in 2019, almost half of the country was covered in snow, with 46.2% of the country covered in snow.

Snow depth maps from December 2, 2019, and December 2, 2021 highlight those vast differences.

Across California, high-temperature records for December fell on Wednesday, including in Palm Springs, where the high of 91 degrees Fahrenheit was the daily high.

According to AccuWeather meteorologist Ryan Adamson, this warmth is far from over. It will expand farther east over the next several days, leaving temperature records at risk for areas like Oklahoma City, Lubbock, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas, to name a few limitations.

 "The previous record for the last measurable snow was November 21, 1934, so a new record will continue to be set every day until finally there is measurable snow."

AccuWeather National Reporter Tony Laubach recently returned to Colorado and said it's been a bit difficult to last that long without snow.

"Going back to Colorado for the first time, we've certainly entered the first week of December, and we haven't seen snow yet in many locations, and what fell was very little," he said. "Falling snowless in Colorado hurt more than a non-white Christmas. 

These sentiments are likely shared by residents across the United States, not just those who live in the country's western half.

On the Northern Plains, Taylor Foster of Spearfish, South Dakota, told AccuWeather that while she's gotten used to milder winters in recent years, this year's delivery "seems more extreme."

"We usually see some big snowstorms by this time of year. Right now, there's green grass in my front yard," she said. "The temperature has been 70 degrees in the past two days, while temperatures are usually freezing."

Foster added that while she is not a massive fan of snow, she is concerned about a lack of precipitation because snow is essential to replenishing groundwater supplies and maintaining drought conditions. In addition, local ski resorts are already beginning to feel the sting of a sluggish winter.

To the east, some snow fell in areas around the Great Lakes and the Northeast, as usual, this year, but those farther south, in the southern Appalachians and south of the Ohio Valley, were also left empty-handed.

Compared to December, which has a lot of snow early, like last year, the winter precipitation not only decreases but is likely to arrive anytime soon. Even with a cold front expected to sweep the country early next week, high temperatures in the Southeast are likely to head above average.

"While temperatures will not challenge the records behind the front in the Southeast, altitudes are likely to remain close to slightly above normal," Adamson said. "