We have previously reported that Northern Hemisphere winters have been getting snowier since 1990 according to the Rutgers University Global Snow Lab. Environment and Climate Change Canada also tracks global snow coverage. Their current map shows that most of Canada, with the exceptions of the southern parts of Ontario and Saskatchewan, have snow coverage far above average for this time of year. And the snow-water equivalent (a measure of the snowpack density) is way above normal for the whole Northern Hemisphere. But just to ensure our alarmist friends don’t feel left out, we can also point out that snow cover extent is currently on the low side of normal. Something for everyone.

It’s often the way with weather and climate data. There’s the alarmist stuff that makes the papers, then there are the details that get left out that show the climate system is complicated and never just one simple pattern. This past winter (the red line) was characterized by heavier-than-normal snowfall in many places:

But while there was more snow, it was slightly more concentrated geographically:

Any would-be climate prognosticator who looks at the reduced extent of snow cover and is tempted to say “Aha! Climate change!” better also be able to explain how the theory accounts for more snow density in one graph and less snow extent in another. And one of these days we might just switch the labels on them to watch them squirm.