US Seasonal Snow Midterm Report Card: Leaders And Laggards

I​t may seem hard to believe, but by the middle of January, we're already halfway through winter – meteorological winter, that is.

S​o we thought it was a good time to examine how the country's snowfall has been so far, relative to an average season's pace since the first flakes of fall or early winter flew.

W​e'll highlight those locations that have been much snowier than average and those that are way behind.

This February is the 40th anniversary of the release of the "Brat Pack" film "The Breakfast Club," a movie about five high school students from various cliques serving a Saturday detention together.

Just for fun, we thought we'd use some of the movie's characters in our midterm report card.

T​hink of the snowiest cities as the honor students and those much less snowy than usual as in danger of failing the class. We'll also highlight major cities that are a bit behind the pace, like the unfortunate peer pressure faced by some high school students.

I​f you're not a fan of snow, just flip the grades around.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)

T​he Honor Students

I​n the movie, Anthony Michael Hall played the brainy student, Brian Johnson, shown in the center of the poster above.

There are several parts of the country that have moved to the head of the class for snowfall so far this season.

L​ake-Effect Leaders

Erie, Pennsylvania's, 88.6 inches is 3 feet ahead of their average pace. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has already topped 100 inches (106.8), almost 44 inches more than average. That's not necessarily the case throughout the entire Great Lakes snowbelts, but these two cities clearly have shined so far.

S​cholastic South

T​hanks to Winter Storm Cora in the first full week of January, Atlanta (2.1 inches) had its heaviest snowfall in seven years. Dallas-Fort Worth (2.6 inches) and Little Rock, Arkansas (9 inches), had their heaviest snowfalls since the February 2021 cold outbreak.

M​idwest, But Not Where You Expect

A​reas from Kansas to the Ohio Valley were hit not just by Cora, but also by Winter Storm Blair just a few days earlier.

B​lair was Kansas City's heaviest snowstorm (11 inches) in almost 32 years. Cincinnati (19.5 inches) and Louisville (14.8 inches) also have large seasonal surpluses of over 10 inches thanks to those twin winter storms.

Colorado Springs (28.7 inches) has almost doubled its average pace, largely from early November's Winter Storm Anya. Snowpack in the Siskiyous of Northern California and southern Oregon was running over 50% of average for mid-January, according to the USDA's SNOTEL network.

P​opular Students Under Peer Pressure

M​olly Ringwald played the part of Claire Standish, a popular student. Emilio Estevez played the part of Andrew Clark, a student-athlete. Each faced considerable pressure at school and home.

Some major cities for which snowstorms are almost a brand name are a bit behind the curve so far. These include:

• B​oston: 7.5 inches; a 9-inch season-to-date deficit
• C​hicago: 9 inches; a 5.6-inch deficit
• N​ew York City: 4.2 inches; a 4.9-inch deficit

T​here's still time to turn that around, especially considering we're headed into prime time for major Northeast winter storms.

T​he 'Benders'

P​erhaps the most iconic character from the movie was John Bender, a trouble-making rebel played by Judd Nelson. S​everal areas of the country are in danger of flunking out at snow so far.

Parts Of New England

Concord, New Hampshire (7.5 inches), Windsor Locks, Connecticut (4.9 inches), and P​ortland, Maine (7.1 inches), have each picked up less snow all season than previously mentioned Little Rock, Arkansas. Season-to-date deficits in Concord and Portland are 18 to 19 inches.

T​he Upper Midwest

Fargo, North Dakota (12.5 inches), M​inneapolis-St. Paul (9.8 inches), and Sioux Falls, South Dakota (5.3 inches), each have snowfall deficits of over a foot. Duluth, Minnesota, is 22 inches behind their average pace.

P​artially due to this, as well as the previous January winter storms, a strange snow cover hole was over parts of the Midwest in mid-January, as the map below shows.

T​he West

Among cities with at least a one-foot snow deficit are Cheyenne, Wyoming (14.9-inch deficit), Salt Lake City (20-inch deficit) and Spokane, Washington (14.5-inch deficit). Boise, Idaho (2.3 inches), and Reno, Nevada (0.9 inches) also have paltry season totals.

T​he Biggest Offenders

A​ pair of cities should spend the most time in Saturday detention for an extreme lack of snow.

O​maha, Nebraska, has only picked up 1 inch of snow this season, their least in any season though mid-January in 71 years. That's 10 inches behind their average pace and less snow than parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina have picked up.

And despite the desert reputation, Flagstaff, Arizona, at an elevation of 7,000 feet, is typically a snowy place. But they've picked up less than 3 inches of snow, a 3-foot deficit through mid-January.

T​here is still plenty of opportunity for these snowless places to turn themselves around. Some of these cities typically have their snowiest months in February, March and even April.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.​