at 8:08 AM by Tyler Smith

Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI)

Catskillprepper.com
Catskillprepper.com

Have you ever wondered how the current winter stacks up with winters in the past? Lots of people refer to the winters in the 70’s as being the worst winters Kentucky has ever seen. The Ohio River froze over and large snowstorms struck the region. But were these the worst winters to ever hit Kentucky? The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI), an index for ranking the severity of winters, will help solve this problem.

From the Midwestern Regional Climate Center‘s research page you can view more information about this up and coming Winter Index.

Here is a list of the goals of the Index:

  • Objectively index winter conditions
  • Use commonly available data—max/min temperature, snowfall, and snow depth or precipitation
  • Create a historical database of AWSSI for any location with daily temperature, snow, and precipitation data
  • Allow comparisons of season to season severity at one location in the context of the climatology of that location or between locations
  • Use as a baseline to scale subjective impacts such as those to snow removal, commerce, and transportation
  • Apply to multiple users and their needs

 

 

An Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index.  Barbara Mayes Boustead, NOAA/NWS, Valley, NE; and S. Hilberg, M. D. Shulski, and K. G. Hubbard. Presented at 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society, January 2013.