ABSTRACT

Daily observations from a gridded snow dataset are analyzed for the state of Nebraska from 1900 to 2009, evaluating spatiotemporal variability and trends in snowfall throughout the seasonal cycle. Seasonal snowfall totals and event frequencies vary upon on a spatial gradient from northwest to southeast Nebraska, with greater totals and frequencies noted to the north and west. Two homogeneous regions of interest emerged with respect to snowfall trends over the 110-year study period. In north-central Nebraska, seasonal snowfall, autumn snowfall, snowfall frequency, and snowfall magnitude increased with time. The broad increases in snowfall indicate more frequent and more intense snowfall events are generating more snowfall with time, and could be considered when developing snow-based operating budgets. In southeast Nebraska, which includes the state’s largest population center of Omaha, snowfall magnitude per event linearly increased by over 50% from 1900 to 2009. The occurrence of more intense, albeit potentially fewer, snowfall events during the winter season may be particularly impactful in association with the city’s large population and vehicle dependence. Documenting these variations and trends in snowfall is critical in developing community- and regionally-tailored snow management plans across the state.

摘要

分析了 1900 年至 2009 年内布拉斯加州的网格化雪数据集的每日观测数据，评估了整个季节周期降雪的时空变化和趋势。季节性降雪总量和事件频率在内布拉斯加州西北到东南部的空间梯度上有所不同，北部和西部的总降雪量和频率更高。在 110 年的研究期间，在降雪趋势方面出现了两个相同的感兴趣区域。在内布拉斯加州中北部，季节性降雪、秋季降雪、降雪频率和降雪幅度随时间增加。降雪量的广泛增加表明，随着时间的推移，更频繁和更强烈的降雪事件正在产生更多的降雪，并且可以在制定基于降雪的运营预算时予以考虑。在内布拉斯加州东南部，其中包括该州最大的人口中心奥马哈，从 1900 年到 2009 年，每个事件的降雪幅度线性增加了 50% 以上。冬季期间发生的更强烈但可能更少的降雪事件可能与该市的人口众多，车辆依赖。记录降雪的这些变化和趋势对于在全州范围内制定社区和区域量身定制的降雪管理计划至关重要。