This winter has been mild so far

Decorah weather observer Richard Bernatz has again crunchedthe numbers to determine how severe the winter has been—and his answer is "notthat much."

Bernatz looked at 15 measurements from November 1^stthrough February 28^th and says this winter is less "severe" thanaverage.  The Severity Index uses 15 factors, including six involving hightemperatures, six involving low temperatures and three involvingsnowfall.  For instance, Decorah has gotten 19 inches of snow thiswinter—9 inches less than average.

Out of 122 winters for which there are meteorologicalrecords in Decorah, this winter currently ranks 67^th, according toBernatz.  By comparison, last winter was the 9^th most severeout of the 122 winters studied.