Why October Snow Might Be Good for Boston

After record cold and flurries over the weekend, many around Boston shared one emotion: panic about what's to come for the rest of the year.

But not so fast. Climatology says early snow might actually be good for those looking to avoid a repeat of last year.

First of all, remember that the average first measurable snow in Boston occurs around November 28. After digging through nearly 120 years of Boston weather records, it turns out that the city saw October snow in about 30 of those years.

In most of the winters that followed those snowy Octobers, snowfall ended up being at or below average.

That's right, climatology says early October snow usually correlates to a less-snowy than average winter.

More specifically, about 40% of the seasons that followed had below average snowfall (average being 43.7").

About 40% of winters had near normal snowfall (43.7-47.8").

Just 20% of winters that followed had significantly above average snowfall.

So, while it's impossible to know for sure what this year will bring, climate says it's not time to panic after a few October flurries. 

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