Dr. Kimberly Casey, visiting research assistant and glaciologist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is the first round winner of ESSIC’s Winter 2013-2014 Snow Prediction Pool.
The winning prediction of eight inches was a “simple guess,” according to Casey.
“I would feel quite lucky if I was successful at predicting both mid- and [overall] season snowfall totals,” she added.
The pool’s first round ended Feb. 2, Groundhog Day and the midpoint of the season, by which time the Washington, D.C. area accumulated 8.1 inches of snow. The 2013-2014 winter season runs from Dec. 21 to March 19.
The pool’s second round began on Feb 2. and goes through the end of the winter season. The winner of each round will be highlighted on the ESSIC Facebook page, as well as receive a special surprise, according to Professor and CICS Director Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm in a Climate Today release.
“I believe my overall season prediction will fall short of snowfall totals,” Casey said. “It seems like the snowfall total for this winter will be over 14 [inches].”
To date, the D.C. region has accumulated 15.5 inches of snow, slightly above the 30 year average of 15.4 inches, according to The Washington Post.
