Snow pack impacts temperatures & clouds

HUNTINGTON, Mass. (WWLP) - We've all noticed the lack of snow on the ground for much of this winter.

"I love bicycling and having a lack of ice and slush on the ground is great," said Jeffrey Bostian of Easthampton.

The slush and snow free ground not only makes getting around easier, but it's also helped us get into the 50s and 60s more often this winter.

The snow pack on the ground keeps the ground around the snow very cool. In a test we performed on a snow pack in Huntington, the thermometer on the snow pack read 31 degrees.

A snow pack acts like a mini refrigerator for the air around it, without the snow pack...we can warm up fast!

Away from that snow pack the ground is able to warm up much more quickly. The thermometer in a shady, but grassy (not snowy) area nearby read about 46 degrees, that's 15 degrees warmer than it was just a few feet away. It goes to show you the power of cooling that a snow pack has.

And even in the hill town of Huntington where there is more snow than most areas, there isn't much.

"Snow pack is a little bit lower than usual, maybe by about 6 inches or so," said Tom Wisnauckas, a Park Ranger in the Huntington area.

Snow on the ground can also add moisture to the air and give us more clouds. That hasn't happened this year which has helped us see plenty of sunshine.

Despite the lack of snow, Wisnauckas told 22news that the ground still has plenty of moisture after such a wet year last year.