I also would expect NH snow cover higher than average too but truly that’s not happening.
For North America that was true until 3? days ago and then - wallop.
If you look carefully at the
snow map attached you will see that in the higher latitudes in most places snow thickness tends to be more than average. And this is the direction of travel predicted by most climate scientists. The warming climate pushes the snow line North and to higher elevations, but the climate is not only warmer but also wetter, so snow at high latitudes, including the Arctic Ocean itself will be higher - usually expressed as Snow Water Equivalent (SWE).
But at the moment the big fat high over the Arctic Ocean (
see attached) mostly prevents moisture bearing winds from low pressure systems getting into the Central Arctic - so no snow to act as an insulating blanket on the ice. If this high persists should be good for ice thickening in the main part of the central Arctic during this last half of winter ?
At least that is the story that seems right to me.