By Josh Chang
Dec 19th, 2020 — A potent late-fall nor’easter impacted much of the northeastern United States Wednesday night into Thursday morning, dropping just over eight inches of powdery snow here in Irvington. The forecast was serious enough for Dr. Kris Harrison, the Superintendent of Schools, to call parents Wednesday evening to announce a snow day Thursday. He also said there would be no virtual instruction, a relief for kids who hoped to enjoy the winter wonderland.
The nor’easter, which collided with an injection of cold air from a strong high pressure system to the north and a dip in the jet stream to the west, dropped almost four feet of snow in parts of New York State. Central Park received 10.5 inches of snow, its largest December total in nearly a decade. At 8.2 inches, Irvington received less snow than most surrounding areas due to a dry slot that lingered over us; parts of the Bronx received over a foot, as did White Plains to the east and Mount Kisco to the north.
Regardless, the storm bucked the trend from last season, which was notoriously snowless. Irvington received almost as much accumulation from this one nor’easter as it did during all of the 2019-2020 season, and the winter prior to that was also quite mild. Still, it is unclear whether or not Wednesday night’s storm will mark the start of an especially snowy season; the skill of seasonal forecasts, especially of snowfall, is very low.
With frigid air moving into the region behind the nor’easter, the snow has largely remained unmelted for now, although that will change as temperatures finally warm above freezing Sunday. Looking ahead, it seems as if Christmas will be rainy and warm.
