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Chances of seeing a white Christmas in the Northeast?
Pinkham Notch, N.H., the starting point for many skiing and hiking trails on Mount Washington, has the best chance for a white Christmas in the Northeast -- an all-but-guaranteed 96 percent. According to senior climatologist Keith Eggleston of Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center, the New Hampshire haven for year-round sports enthusiasts has the best chance for a white Christmas Day of any town in the entire Northeast region. The climate center defines a white Christmas as having at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Dec. 25. It bases its estimates on statistics gleaned from 1951 to 2000. (December 11, 2003)

Chances for a white Thanksgiving in the northeast
While Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) falls late this year, the best chances for snow on Turkey Day occur in upstate New York and portions of New England, according to Keith Eggleston, a senior climatologist with Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center. For travelers, there is a 50 percent chance of measurable snow in Caribou, Maine, on Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving, while there is a 70 percent chance of snow in Caribou on Thanksgiving. Boonville, N.Y., northeast of Syracuse, N.Y., at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, has a 73 percent chance for a white Thanksgiving. Burlington, Vt., and Buffalo, N.Y., have 30 percent chances of measurable snow on Thanksgiving eve, while Binghamton, N.Y., has a one-in-five chance of snow on Nov. 26 and a 30 percent chance of seeing snow on the ground on Thanksgiving. (November 23, 2003)

U.S. will see major climate changes, more winter precip
Over the next 100 years, the eastern United States will see more winter precipitation because atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are increasing. But more precipitation does not necessarily mean more snow, according to Arthur T. DeGaetano, a Cornell climatologist who is one of several speakers at the symposium, Impacts of Climate Change on Horticulture, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. This symposium will focus on implications of climate change and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide for the important fruit, vegetable and ornamental horticulture industries, says David Wolfe, Cornell professor of horticulture and one of the symposium's organizers. The meeting will bring together climate scientists, horticultural researchers, extension educators, horticultural businesses, environmental and gardening groups, and representatives from public gardens. (October 03, 2003)

Isabel will drop its heaviest rain on Northeast
As Hurricane Isabel churns in the middle Atlantic and takes aim at the East Coast, the storm's track on Thursday night and into Friday morning lies directly through the heart of the Northeast, where it is likely leave heavy rains and strong wind in its wake. Hurricanes and tropical storms, weakened as they passed over land, have caused some of the greatest two-day rainfall totals in the Northeast, say experts at Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC). Hurricane Agnes dumped 14.94 inches of rain on Harrisburg, Pa., on June 21 and 22, 1972, and a two-day record 7.52 inches of rain on Washington, D.C., on the same dates. On Aug. 18-19, 1955, Hurricane Diane dropped 13.97 inches of rain on Hartford/Windsor Locks, Conn., and 11.94 inches of rain on Boston. (September 17, 2003)

West Nile virus warning system from climate data
In combating West Nile virus, information could be the ultimate repellant. In an effort to develop an early-warning system for potential West Nile virus outbreaks, Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) and the Department of Entomology will spend this summer collecting climate data in areas where disease-carrying mosquitoes are found. The U.S. government-funded research, it is hoped, will result in the first Web-based, degree-day calculator that warns public health officials when, where and under which conditions infectious mosquitoes can either thrive or die. The information is expected to be on line by next summer. (June 19, 2003)

With 90.8 inches, Syracuse, N.Y., leads Northeast snowfall sweepstakes, says Cornell's regional climate center
N.Y. -- The race for the title of the Northeast's snowiest city this winter is heating up. With 90.8 inches of snow through Jan. 20 (33.2 inches above normal), Syracuse, N.Y., is in the lead, according to Keith Eggleston, senior climatologist at Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center. Behind Syracuse is Erie, Pa., with 88.4 inches of snow so far this season (36.8 inches above normal). But this is far behind Erie's record snowfall of 110.8 inches set between Oct. 1 and Jan. 20, 1977-78. (January 21, 2003)