Golden Snowball Award
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The Golden Snowball Award is an annual award presented to the Upstate New York city that receives the most snowfall in a season. The original award was the result of a friendly competition of National Weather Service offices in Upstate. After the Rochester and Syracuse offices closed in the mid-1990s, the competition died out.
The award was revived during the 2002-2003 snowfall season, in which Syracuse won. It has won every year since then as well. The prize is accompanied by a ceremonial $100 check to one of that city's school's hat and mitten drive.
In contrast, New York City's annual snow average is a relatively small 2-3 feet per year in the city and about 3-4 feet per year in nearby suburbs. Ironically, for the first time ever, during the 2005-06 winter season the city had more snowfall than Albany, mainly due to the Blizzard of 2006, which was the city's biggest snowfall ever, while Albany was on the extreme northern fringe.
The cities that compete for the award are
Until the 2006-2007 season, several smaller cities also competed for a smaller award, that includes a $50 check. These are:
Utica was not a part of the original Golden Snowball contest as it did not have a National Weather Service office. This is why it is not part of the current $100 prize contest despite its population being greater than Binghamton's by about 13,000. This has led to a poll and discussion on if Utica should be in contention for the $100 prize.
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[edit] Winners of the Golden Snowball
- 2002-2003: Syracuse
- 2003-2004: Syracuse
- 2004-2005: Syracuse
- 2005-2006: Syracuse
[edit] References
- "Forecasters suggest resurrection of New York's snowfall competition", USA Today, January 16, 2003.
- A fierce snowball competition (Video). The Weather Channel: Abrams & Bettes. Retrieved on February 23, 2007.
[edit] See also
Snowfall Statistics for Golden Snowball Award Cities
