Snow in all 50 States

This winter has definitely been an unusual winter in the fact that so many different patterns and outbreaks have occurred all over the country. There have been record breaking snow storms in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions of the country, a constant flow of arctic reaching the gulf coast and an above average temperatures for the Pacific Northwest. Most of this can be associated with the "blocking" pattern that has occurred over Canada that has allowed arctic front after arctic front to push southward uninterruptedly. With the influx of arctic air in place and the active southern jet stream due to an "El Nino" year, the frequency in which winter storms have occurred is not surprising to most meteorologists.

However, last week on February 13, 2010, an event happened that we might not see for years to come. All 50 states, including Hawaii, had measurable snow fall on the ground. A graduate student at the University of Oklahoma put the project together and was able to obtain photos from all 50 states that proved snow was on the ground in all 50 states on February 13, 2010. Since this is such an unusual project, the National Weather Service has not been able to confirm if this is the first time in recorded history that this even has happened. Nonetheless, it is indeed an astonishing feet that this was accomplished and one that should be noted.