Surface snow and ice influence on the near surface atmosphere in land-atmosphere interaction is significant due to the large difference between the shortwave radiation albedo of snow and other natural surfaces. The surface response to radiative forcing is substantially modulated with the presence of snow. Ruschy et al. [1991] show that the diurnal air temperature range in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota is significantly reduced on days with full snow cover at the surface. Reduced diurnal range and enhanced reflection of solar radiation leads to the persistence of the snow cover. Cohen and Rind [1991] find the negative feedback mechanism that restores the reduced surface response to solar radiation. They show that a snow (and hence albedo) anomaly induces a change in the diabatic heating that constitutes the negative feedback that counteracts the albedo influence of snow. Following the establishment of snow cover, the surface cooling stabilizes the lower atmosphere and inhibits further surface cooling by turbulent flux mechanism. The resultant heating is on the same order as the reduction in heating by solar radiation. This balance between the positive and negative feedback mechanisms reduce the sensitivity of regional climates to snow cover and the location of the snowline. There are nonetheless significant interannual fluctuations in large scale snow cover that are principally forced by general circulation and teleconnections in the ocean-atmosphere-land system [ Karl et al., 1993].