We are now halfway through meteorological winter, December through February, and many cities are still starving for snow. Some cities in the Northeast and Midwest have seen less than half the amount of snow that they would in an average season so far.
Below-average temperatures were seen across the East for much of November and the first half of January, but December was mild compared to average for much of the country. Even with cold air in place at times, the snow just has not piled up.
According to The Weather Channel storm specialist Dr. Greg Postel:
"We appear to be stuck in a pattern that is driving the storm track close to the coast, if not all the way inland, and that is not the track you need to bring big snow into I-95 corridor. This instead brings snow to the ski resorts and interior New England. These locations have not seen the kind of snow drought that the coastal cities have."
The jet stream has frequently exhibited a "split flow" over North America this winter season. According to Dr. Postel, "This type of pattern features one branch coming in from the north and one from the southwest. And the confluence of these air streams over the Southern Tier has led to more rainy and icy setups in the South, rather than big snow storms in the cold air farther north.
http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/snow-drought-northeast-midwest
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