It Won't Be Long . . .

But ❄️ ☃️ arrived sooner than expected.

That's because, according to most calendars, December 21 marks the official arrival of winter, whereas the official start of meteorological winter is December 1. That date was perfect timing as winter came to in Nashua, NH (and other places) via a 48-hour storm that started Sunday afternoon and ended Tuesday mid-afternoon. Did you get any?

Thankfully, we returned home from our holiday travels before the storm's arrival. 

It didn't snow the entire time,  starting and stopping before clearing out completely. We stayed indoors the entire time. There was nowhere we had to go and the cars are safely parked in the indoor garage. 

This view was from a 5th floor window on our floor. Main streets were snow-free by late Tuesday morning. However, Grenville monitored the police bands which reported numerous fender benders on side streets and local highways. 

Usually, Nashua's first snowfall is sometime in December, but some years recorded snow in November. The season's last snowfall typically occurs in March, or as late as April.
Checking for Nashua, NH, snow stats online, I learned that in December, one in four years totaled over 17 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years got 6 inches or less for the month. In January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years exceeded 20 inches, while the lightest years get less than 6.6 inches. New snow in February ranged from over 19 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 6 inches in lighter years.

The earliest Nashua snowfall was on November 11, 1906 and totaled 6 inches. The earliest storm of 10 inches or more was on November 16, 1967, when 11 inches fell. In January 2015, the year we moved here, a blizzard blanketed Nashua with over 33 inches of snow making it the highest accumulation in the state. It was the city's highest ever recorded  and broke a record of 30 inches set in March 1888.

Nashua was far from the top snowfall in NH this time. New Ipswich, NH, had 36 inches this snowfall (the top total in NH). The good great news is that May-October, Nashua is (usually) snow-free.

Some bloggers may recognize the post title as part of the opening line from Snow with vocals by Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen. The four harmonize during a late night meet-up on a train heading to VT in a the holiday classic, White Christmas. (We'll be watching the movie again this holiday. How about you?)