The National Climate Extremes Committee's Evaluation of the Reported 1,140 Inch National Seasonal Snowfall Record at the Mount Baker, Washington Ski Area

During the 1998-99 July-June snowfall season, the Mt. Baker Ski Area in far northwest Washington reported 1,140 inches of snowfall. As the season progressed and heavy snow continued to fall, the ski area became increasingly aware of the potential to exceed the existing and accepted record of 1,122 inches, set in 1971-72 at the National Weather Service (NWS) cooperative station at Paradise Ranger Station on the southern slopes of Mt. Rainier, 150 miles to the south.

Because this is a significant record and would likely be referred to for many years unless exceeded again, and because a measure of economic self interest accompanies these measurements, the National Climate Extremes Committee was asked to judge whether the measurement program had followed snowfall observing conventions adequately enough for acceptance as an national record. The Committee was formed in 1997 to evaluate the validity of climate extremes that challenge existing national records and make a recommendation to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regarding acceptance of the observations in question. This investigation included four NOAA employees and two expert climatological community members.

The Committee's unanimous recommendation to the Director of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center to accept the new national record is summarized and includes a description of the method of measuring snow depth by the observers and the siting of the equipment.