More than 16 inches of snow have fallen in Pittsburgh since the beginning of March, making it the snowiest March since 1993.
The superstorm of March 1993 brought 25.3 inches of snow to the region in just a few days, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. It boosted that month’s total snowfall to 34.1 inches.
This has been the snowiest March since 1993....and we all know what happened that year! pic.twitter.com/x4r5h2EuCZ
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) March 28, 2022
Local snowfall is often dependent on El Niño and La Niña weather patterns, said NWS meteorologist Lee Hendricks. This year the region is in a transition period between the two.
Hendricks described the current circumstances as a “neutral position” that brings more variability to local weather patterns.
“This year we are turning towards . . . a La Niña,” he said. “Those types of years we tend to get more extremes.”
Meteorologists predict the weather for the rest of the week will yo-yo between cold and snowy and warm and rainy, but the snow is unlikely to stick around for long.
“Right now, it’s just scattered snow showers around the region. Nothing of great significance,” said Hendricks. “We might pick up a tenth of an inch here or two tenths there.
Hendricks said the fluctuating forecasts are thanks to two competing weather systems: a cold system from the north and a warmer system from the west.
Cold air systems from the north are “bringing fairly strong storm systems through on a reasonably fast pace.”
“We’re just in a very active pattern right now, and it seems like we’re getting a lot of cold shots coming out of southern Canada that are keeping us from the spring weather we would prefer,” Hendricks said.
“This is classic weather for western Pennsylvania in the spring, unfortunately.”
Despite all the snow this season, Hendricks said Pittsburgh is on track for a pretty average total snowfall. So far, 43 inches have fallen during the 2021-2022 winter, just under the 30-year running average of 44.1 inches for the area.
