9.3
Development of regional snowfall indices
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The goal of the current project is to develop NESIS-like indices for other regions of the country. The indices will be calculated in a similar fashion to NESIS, but our experience has led us to propose a change in the methodology. Different techniques are examined and a final algorithm is presented. The new indices require region-specific parameters and thresholds for the calculations. The paper discusses quality control issues, assumptions, and applicability of regional snowfall indices and how they may help explain the societal impacts of snowstorms. Indices are computed for the 50 largest storms in each of six regions in the eastern two-thirds of the nation to allow current storms to be put into a century-scale historical perspective. These indices are being produced experimentally for the 2009-2010 winter season.