National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service Home Page. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Home Page. National Climatic Data Center Home Page. Department of Commerce Home Page. NOAA, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information ServiceNational Climatic Data Center, U.S. Department of Commerce

State of the Climate
Snow & Ice
April 2007

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Climatic Data Center


Use the form below to access monthly reports.

« March 2007
Snow Report
October 2007 »
Snow Report


daily animation of Northern Hemisphere snow cover from the month
Northern Hemisphere Animation Loop
daily animation of U.S.snow cover from the month
National Animation Loop

The two satellite-derived animations above show the daily snow cover across the Northern Hemisphere (left map) and North America (right map) throughout April 2007. By clicking on the images, the change in sea-ice extent across parts of the Arctic can be seen through the month as well as several significant snowfall events across the U.S. and Europe. The seasonal retreat of snow cover can be seen in both animations.

More information on significant winter weather and other hazards can be found on NCDC's Hazards page.

Map of monthly snow pack percent of average
larger image

Image courtesy of the
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service

The map to the left depicts percent of average snowpack in the West and Alaska as of May 1st. For the 2007 Water Year, snow water-equivalent (SWE) values are near average over portions of the Cascades (WA) and Colorado Front Range. Elsewhere, melt out continued and at an accelerated pace as a high pressure ridge brought unwelcomed heat over much of the West. By the end of the month, SWE decreased and snow depths responded in kind with many areas losing more than two inches per day. Additional information on the western U.S. snowpack can be found at the following USDA/NRCS webpage.

Map of Northeast U.S. snow depth on April 6, 2007
Maine Snow Depth Map

A late season winter storm dumped nearly a foot of snow across areas of Maine on the 5th, snarling traffic and forcing governor Jim Baldacci to declare a state of emergency after at least 275,000 homes and businesses lost power (Reuters). Portland recorded its fifth biggest snowstorm in April for a 24-hour period.


Questions?

For questions on technical or scientific content of this report, please contact:

Jake Crouch:
Jake.Crouch@noaa.gov

For general climate monitoring questions, please contact:

CMB.Contact@noaa.gov

For climate data orders, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services and Monitoring Division:

NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov

[ top ]