What If Measurable Snow in May Happened Again in Philadelphia?

Measurable snow has been reported in early May in Philadelphia during Colonial Times and possibly as late as 1812. (scroll up to May 4 from May 8 in the link).

This page will try to describe what a measurable snow in May might be like.

From descriptions of the May 8, 1803 storm, a repeat of measurable snow in May could reusult in some problems. For example, the New Jersey Weather Book quotes Samuel Mickle's Diary describing the May 8, 1803 snowfall in Woodbury, NJ (a short distance from Philadelphia in Southwestern New Jersey):

Trees and bushes bending under the weight of a wet snow. Many boughs broken down, and had to saw off many broken ones. Trees mostly in large leaves and blossoms.

Also, concerns about damage to vegetation and blossoms (i.e., peaches) are mentioned in the New Jersey Weather Book.

The photo below is an attempt by the author to show what an early May snowfall might look like. Adobe Photoshop CS6 was used to combine a snow photo with a photo of some flora which normally is in bloom in early May (see photo below)

Click on photo to enlarge. If running scripts and/or ActiveX warning appears, choose to allow blocked content.