Grand Island has set a record for the number of consecutive days with a snow depth of 3 inches or more, according to the National Weather Service in Hastings.

According to NWS, those consecutive days began with the first big snowfall of December on Dec. 6. Since then, the official snow depth at Grand Isalnd has remained at least 3 inches or greater.

The snow depth has actually been much greater than 3 inches over a majority of the period with a snow depth of 10 inches or greater on 33 of the days this winter, the NWS said.

December was the snowiest December on record, according NWS. The heavy snowfall has also been accompanied by temperatures that averaged much below normal from December through early January, which set the stage for the prolonged snow cover.

While a January thaw by mid-to-late January melted much of the snow, the NWS said enough remained at or greater than three inches.

While the record continues, as of Monday, Grand Island officially recorded a snow depth of 3 inches or more for 64 consecutive days, which brought the old record of 60 consecutive days set back in the winter of 1983/1984, the NWS said.

NWS also reported that the it also moves Grand Island fourth place for the number of consecutive days with a snow depth of 1 inch or greater.

The record for the number of consecutive days with a snow depth of 1 inch or great is 102 consecutive days which was set back in the winter of 1978/1979. For Grand Island to break that record, according to NWS, the snow of 1 inch or more would have be remain in place through mid-March.

NWS also reported that another snow depth record that Grand Island reached earlier this winter was the number of consecutive days with a snow depth of 1 foot or more, which was tied in mid-January at 21 consecutive days.

Grand Island has had 40.1 inches of snow this season and 35.6 inches since Dec. 1.