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New feature for 2011-12!

Posted by Stephen on April 1, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized.

While the snow may still be coming down in some parts of the state, I figured now would be a good time to announce a new feature on the site, starting with the 2011-12 season.

Syracuse may be the snowiest among the five GSB cities, but where is Upstate NY’s snowiest residence? That’s where you come in! Yes, you! Unless of course, you don’t live in Upstate NY, then this has nothing to do with you. Sorry. Starting with next season, we will be asking for our readers to state how much snow they’ve had every day. We’ll add up the totals throughout the season, and the winner will be given the golden shovel! While we’re still dealing with the remnants of this season, we are looking forward to the next one, and hope you all are too!

In other exciting news…







April Fool’s!

Have a great day everyone!

Point Blank Range Forecasts: Mar. 29-30

Posted by Stephen on March 27, 2011
Posted in: forecasts.

It’s the last Point Blank Range Forecast of the season, and the way the forecasts have been, the end couldn’t have come soon enough. Details on the last forecast to come, but first, as always, is the look back at the last outlook.

The previous prediction involved snowfall on the 23rd and 24th. Below are the totals for those 2 days.

Albany: 0.6
Binghamton: 5.2
Buffalo: 7.0
Rochester: 6.8
Syracuse: 3.9

Bull’s Eye: Binghamton has more snow than any other GSB city.
On Target: Binghamton has more snow than 3 of the other GSB cities.
Complete Miss: Any other result.

Oh look! Another Complete Miss! That’s 5 for the season. Combined with the On Target over at Golden Snow Globe, I’m below the 1.00 goal set before the season. The only way I can reach it now is with 2 Bull’s Eye predictions. With 1 forecast left, it’s all or nothing: both GSB and GSG forecasts must be Bull’s Eyes or it is an unsuccessful season for me, at least as far as the PBR Forecasts are concerned.

Now on to this forecast, which will focus on temperatures. Hey, I need to give myself some chance at a Bull’s Eye. Temperatures were the only Bull’s Eye here, so that’s what I’m going with when I need it most.

Cooler temperatures are in store for the GSB cities for most of the week. Temperatures should be below average for all GSB cities in at least one of the days.

Bull’s Eye: All five GSB cities have below average highs both days.
On Target: All five GSB cities have below average highs in one day.
Complete Miss: Any GSB city has above average highs both days.

Remember to check out Golden Snow Globe for the forecast over there as well. Enjoy the week everyone!

Point Blank Range Forecasts: Mar. 23-24

Posted by Stephen on March 22, 2011
Posted in: forecasts.

Happy Spring everyone! Ah, but just because the calendar says it’s a new season, doesn’t mean the weather has to go with it. One more push of snow is coming to the GSB cities. My forecast on that is to come, but first a look back at the last prediction.

The previous PBR forecast involved temperatures for the GSB cities. Below is the low temperatures for the two days, 11th first with 13th in parenthesis.

Albany: 53 (43)
Binghamton: 44 (38)
Buffalo: 34 (34)
Rochester: 49 (38)
Syracuse: 43 (40)

Bull’s Eye: Friday’s high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday’s for all five GSB cities.
On Target: Friday’s high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday’s for 3 of the five GSB cities.
Complete Miss: Friday’s high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday’s less than 3 of the five GSB cities.

Only two cities had double digit differences, so this is a Complete Miss, the 4th of the season.

Despite this, my average went up, thanks to a Bull’s Eye on Golden Snow Globe. Is it weird that I can forecast better for different parts of the U.S. than I can for my home state? Maybe it’s just the nature of our weather, or the forecasts themselves. I’m still below the 1.00 goal though, and with 2 forecasts left, there is not much room for another Complete Miss.

Now on to this forecast which involves snowfall. It looks like Binghamton will be the hardest hit among the GSB cities. In previous forecasts, I would take one city over the combined totals of the other four. Those would backfire badly. I’ve finally learned my lesson, going a little more cautious this time.

Bull’s Eye: Binghamton has more snow than any other GSB city.
On Target: Binghamton has more snow than 3 of the other GSB cities.
Complete Miss: Any other result.

Be sure to check out the Golden Snow Globe site to see the forecast there as well.

2010-11 cracks Binghamton’s Top 10 snowiest seasons

Posted by Stephen on March 22, 2011
Posted in: binghamton snow, records.

Yesterday, Binghamton reported 2.8 inches of snowfall, making this season their 8th snowiest so far with 109.2 inches. The 2001-02 season, with 107.2 inches, is now out of the Top 10. Here are Binghamton’s top 10 snowiest seasons.

1. 1993-1994 (131.3)
2. 1995-1996 (131.2)
3. 1992-1993 (122.7)
4. 1955-1956 (122.6)
5. 2002-2003 (117.6)
6. 1977-1978 (115.3)
7. 1969-1970 (114.0)
8. 2010-2011 (109.2 so far)
9. 1970-1971 (108.6)
10. 1957-1958 (108.3)

This season now ranks in the Top 10 for three of the GSB cities since 1951-52. Buffalo and Rochester still are behind the pace, sitting at 22nd and 15th respectively.

Shot In The Dark Forecasts: April 2011

Posted by Stephen on March 21, 2011
Posted in: forecasts.

While it’s still March, I wanted to get the April forecast in now. Before I do that though, I’ll give a quick update on the March forecast.

If you recall, the outlook for the month involved snowfall compared to average. Below are the snowfall totals for the month so far, with monthly average in parenthesis.

Albany: 6.6 (10.9)
Binghamton: 20.2 (14.2)
Buffalo: 4.1 (12.4)
Rochester: 8.0 (16.6)
Syracuse: 14.1 (18.8)

Right now, only Binghamton is over their monthly average. I need at least 2 more to do the same to get the On Target spot, with all four meaning a Bull’s Eye prediction.

Now on to April’s outlook. I believe that the snow machine is coming to an end. There will be snow this week (more on that tomorrow!), but I believe that will be the final push. With that in mind, I’m giving a range for how this season will rank for each city at the end of April.

Albany: 5-9
Binghamton: 3-6
Buffalo: 13-19
Rochester: 8-12
Syracuse: 3-4

Bull’s Eye: All five GSB cities are within the given ranges.
On Target: Three or four are in the given ranges.
Complete Miss: Two or fewer are in the given ranges.

Happy Spring everyone! Be sure to check out the SITD forecast over on Golden Snow Globe as well.

A Bit Off Topic: Mario Marathon

Posted by Stephen on March 11, 2011
Posted in: charity, mario marathon.

Over on Golden Snow Globe, I mentioned that I would explain why I wanted to forecast for Indiana, regardless of what conditions they’d have, this weekend. So I figured I might as well hit both sites with it.

In 15 weeks, Mario Marathon begins their 4th edition. The idea is simple, a few guys play games from the Super Mario series. The more people donate, the longer they play. All of the proceeds go to a charity called Child’s Play, which gives toys, games, and such to various children’s hospitals. Last year, Mario Marathon raised over $80,000.

Last year was the first year that I started watching the event. When I first heard about it, I thought it was pretty silly. And, I was right, but not for the right reasons. It simply is a lot of fun, and for a good cause. Obviously, you don’t have to watch the whole thing, as it goes on for a few days straight, but I’m sure if you like to play and watch others play video games, any time you spend there will be worth your while.

I mentioned that the event does not start for another 15 weeks. There are a few reasons why I wanted to mention the event now. First off, since this is a site that is really focused on the winter months (we better not get snow in June!!!!), I wanted to at least mention it when we’d get more people here. The second reason is that the Mario Marathon crew will be holding a sort of mini event this Saturday afternoon. They don’t have an official start time yet, as they will be testing their equipment before going live. The website is and you can follow them on Twitter as well.

Have a great weekend everyone!