Northeast Region:
(Information provided by the Northeast
Regional Climate Center)
- Temperatures averaged 0.8°F (0.4°C) above normal in
the Northeast states. This was 7.7°F (4.3°C) warmer than
February 2007, but 0.9°F (0.5°C) cooler than February
2006. Pennsylvania and Maryland were the most anonymously cool
states, with temperature departures of 0.3 and 0.1°F (-0.3 and
0.1°C), respectively. The most anomalously warm states in the
Northeast were Delaware (3.4°F/1.9°C above normal) and
New Jersey (2.5°F/1.4°C above normal).
- An active weather pattern with a few heavy rain events put
February's precipitation totals over the top, making this month the
wettest February since records began in 1895. Four states,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont, also had
their wettest February in 114 years. It was the second wettest in
New York and Pennsylvania; the third wettest in New Hampshire, the
4th wettest in New Jersey, and the 9th wettest in Maine.
Precipitation departures ranged from 113% of normal in Delaware to
289% of normal in Vermont. The departure for the Northeast as a
whole was 199% of the 30-year mean. Despite the abundant
precipitation this month, the southernmost counties on the eastern
shore of Maryland and southern Delaware were still under moderate
to severe drought conditions according to the February 26, 2008
U.S. Drought Monitor.
- Much of the precipitation fell as snow or a rain-snow mix in
northern New England. Snow depth at the end of the month in Maine,
New Hampshire and Vermont ranged from 20 to 75 inches (20-190 cm).
A storm that affected the Northeast from the 13th to the 14th
brought moderate amounts of rain, freezing rain and/or snow to most
of the region. However, parts of southwestern Maine and
east-central New Hampshire received 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of
new snowfall followed by 1.0 to 2.0 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) of rain.
The combination of the snow and rain resulted in an unusually heavy
snow load on area buildings, causing roof leaks and collapses. Snow
totals during the winter were above normal in northern New England,
where 2 stations (Concord NH and Burlington VT) posted their
all-time record high climatological winter
(December—February) snow totals. Frequent snow and ice storms
throughout this winter put a strain on the supply of road salt,
especially in small towns that don't have the resources to
stockpile large quantities of the product. By mid-February, the
Vermont Agency of Transportation had shared at least 4000 tons
(3629 metric tons) of salt with 95 towns and villages in
Chittenden, Addison and Franklin Counties. Other towns in the
region scrambled to find supplies, often at inflated prices,
dipping into budgets already strained by this winters
weather.
For more information, please go to the Northeast
Regional Climate Center Home Page.
Midwest Region:
(Information provided by the Midwest
Regional Climate Center)
- February was a cold month across most of the Midwest. Average
daily temperatures ranged from 8°F to 9°F (4.4°C to
5.0°C) below normal in central and eastern Iowa and in
northwestern Minnesota, to 1°F (0.6°C) above normal in
extreme southeastern Kentucky. The colder than normal weather in
the northern Midwest was aided by persistent snow cover as storm
after storm brought snow and ice to the region. Temperatures the
first week of the month were above normal across the region,
ranging from 0-3°F (0-1.7°C) above normal from western
Minnesota south through western Kansas while temperatures were
10-12°F (5.6-6.7°C) above normal in the Ohio Valley.
After the first week of February, a series of Arctic outbreaks kept
temperatures generally below normal north of the Ohio River. The
northern half of the Midwest experienced some of the coldest
weather of the season on February 20 when temperatures plunged to
-33°F (-36°C) in northwestern Minnesota, and lows between
-10°F (-23°C) and -25°F (-32°C) occurred across
the remainder of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
- Precipitation was much above normal for much of the Midwest in
February, typically the driest month of the year. Precipitation was
200 percent of normal or more in a wide band extending from
southwestern Missouri through Lower Michigan. Snowfall was much
above normal across a significant portion of the Midwest north of
the Ohio River. Snowfall was four to six times normal amounts from
eastern Iowa to eastern Wisconsin. By the end of February, seasonal
snowfall totals at many locations from northern Illinois through
southern Wisconsin were already more than twice the norm and in the
top ten snowiest seasons on record. At the end of February,
Madison, WI had accumulated 89.8 inches (228.1 cm) of snow,
smashing the previous seasonal snowfall record of 76.1 inches
(193.3 cm) of snow in the winter of 1978-1979. Drier than normal
conditions occurred in the northwestern quarter of the region,
including most of Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, where
precipitation was 25-75% of normal. Southeastern Kentucky also
received near to slightly below normal precipitation.
- The Midwest experienced all manner of severe weather during the
month of February, from severe thunderstorms to heavy snow. An
unusual event the first week of the month was a very dense fog with
horizontal visibilities of less than 1/4 mile (0.4 km) over a wide
area of the central Midwest, extending from eastern Iowa through
central and northern Illinois to northern Indiana and southern
Michigan. The dense fog developed overnight February 3-4 and
conditions deteriorated during the day. This event was unusual in
that the very dense fog occurred during the afternoon and early
evening hours and persisted in many locations for more than 6
hours. The fog brought air travel to a standstill and driving
conditions were extremely hazardous. There were numerous traffic
accidents throughout the Midwest as a result of the fog, a few with
fatalities. A severe weather outbreak and widespread flooding also
affected large portions of the Midwest during the first week of the
month.
For details on the weather and climate events of the Midwest during
February, see the weekly summaries in the
MRCC Midwest Climate Watch page.
Southeast Region:
(Information provided by the Southeast Regional
Climate Center)
- February in the southeast opened with warm conditions, with
high temperature records for the date being set over much of the
region on the 5th and 6th. There was another warm period around the
15th and 16th of the month, but at the end of February the entire
region north of peninsular Florida had temperatures below
freezing.
- It was a windy and stormy month with a series of active storms
moving through the southern part of the region. Florida had three
days with tornadoes, while Alabama and Georgia had two each and
North Carolina had one. Although somewhat early in the year for
tornado outbreaks, they are not completely unknown, especially with
the dry, hot conditions prevailing during the month. Although there
were no tornadoes in Virginia, there were several outbreaks of
severe weather associated with strong winds, including one report
of 68 mph (109 km/hr) winds in Roanoke on the 10th. With the very
dry conditions prevailing in the area, these winds facilitated the
development and spread of wildfires, which occurred in several
northern parts of the region. At least one 5-car pileup, in
northeast North Carolina, was attributed to wind-driven smoke from
a wildfire.
- The storms brought some precipitation, including snow in most
of the mountain areas. However, amounts were variable, with some
areas in the south of the region having their sixth wettest
February on record, while farther north some areas had less than
half the normal amount for the month. As a result, although there
was some respite from the on-going drought, particularly in coastal
South Carolina and southern Georgia and Alabama, conditions did not
greatly change in the north. Both central North Carolina and
northern Georgia and Alabama continued to be in exceptional
drought, with extreme drought in the intervening areas. Southern
Florida also missed the storms, and parts remain in exceptional
drought. Compared to the storminess of the main part of the region,
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands had temperatures hovering around
the average for the month, while precipitation was just below
normal.
For more information, please go to the Southeast Regional
Climate Center Home Page.
High Plains Region:
(Information provided by the High Plains
Regional Climate Center)
- Colder than normal temperatures were prevalent in portions of
eastern North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and northeastern
Kansas during February. The average February temperature departures
from the 1971-2000 normals ranged from -4°F (-2°C) to
-10°F (-6°C) for much of this area. These depressions
were aided by snow cover, which was present for much of February
throughout this entire region. The deepest snow depths were
reported in portions of eastern North Dakota and northeast
Kansas.
- The Nebraska Panhandle, areas west of Kearney (NE), western
Kansas and the plains of Colorado and Wyoming experienced close to
normal temperatures during February. Some areas on the lee side of
the Rockies in Colorado and Wyoming had temperatures between
2-4°F (1-2°C) above normal during the month.
- Early in February, several low pressure systems brought snow
and moisture to the eastern High Plains, with the most
precipitation falling in southeastern Kansas. Total liquid
precipitation amounts in southeast Kansas for February 2008 ranged
from 2.5 inches (6 cm) to 4 inches (9.5 cm), which was greater than
200% of the 1971-2000 liquid precipitation average in February for
the region. The Rockies in southwest Colorado and portions of
southwest Wyoming also benefitted from above normal precipitation
amounts during February.
For more information, please go to the High Plains
Regional Climate Center Home Page.
Southern Region:
(Information provided by the Southern
Regional Climate Center)
- Temperatures in the Southern Region in February were slightly
above normal in Oklahoma and in northern and central Arkansas.
Elsewhere, temperatures were relatively normal, except in southern
Texas and Southern Louisiana. In the southern tip of Texas,
temperatures averaged 6-8°F (3-4°C) above normal. Along
the Texas coast and slightly inland, temperatures ranged from
4-6°F (2-3°C) above normal. Similar values were also
observed in southern Louisiana.
- Precipitation in the Southern region was relatively variable in
February. In southwestern and central Texas, values were generally
below normal and ranged from less than 2% of normal to 50% of
normal. In central Oklahoma, precipitation was above normal with
values ranging from 150% to over 400% of normal. In Louisiana,
precipitation was above normal in the north, but below normal in
the south. Conditions were driest in the south central parishes,
with values ranging from 29% of normal in Baton Rouge, to 53% of
normal in New Orleans. Alexandria on the other hand received almost
twice its monthly total, while Monroe and Shreveport reported 130%
and 118% of normal, respectively. In Mississippi, precipitation was
above normal in the central counties, and below normal in the
northern and southern quarters of the state. For example, Meridian
reported over 200% of normal precipitation for the month, whereas
McComb AP received only approximately half the monthly average.
Conditions were relatively dry in Tennessee, with most stations
reporting below normal precipitation. Conversely, most stations in
Arkansas received slightly above normal precipitation for the
month. The only exception to this was in eastern Arkansas, were
values were similar to that which was reported in northern
Mississippi and western Tennessee (approximately 70-90% of
normal).
- On February 5, a storm system pushed through the southern
United States, spawning severe winds, hail and tornadoes that
resulted in over 50 fatalities. The storm system resulted from a
collision of a deep trough that moved in from the west, and warm
southerly winds that were rich in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.
This combination often results in very unstable conditions, and is
ideal for the production of severe thunderstorms. NOAA's Storm
Prediction Center reported 337 storm reports that day, making this
one of the most significant severe weather dates in recent memory.
Of the 337 storm reports, 160 were wind reports, 109 were hail
occurrences and 68 were preliminary reports of tornadoes. Severe
weather was observed in 13 separate states, mostly concentrated in
a line from northeastern Texas to southern Indiana and southern
Ohio. A majority of the wind events occurred in Kentucky, Ohio and
Indiana. Other wind reports were scattered among the remaining 10
affected states. Tornadoes were highly concentrated in Arkansas and
Tennessee, however, some were reported in Mississippi, Alabama,
Missouri and Kentucky. Hail events were scattered fairly evenly
among the affected states.
For more information, please go to the Southern
Regional Climate Center Home Page.
Western Region:
(Information provided by the Western
Regional Climate Center)
- Temperatures throughout the west were very near normal for the
entire region, generally within 2 to 4°F (1 to 2°C) of
normal. Exceptions included northwest Montana, where temperatures
were up to 5°F (3°C) above normal, and the Uintah Valley
of northeast Utah, where temperatures were near 7°F (4°
C) below normal.
- Precipitation was above normal in parts of the Great Basin and
most of the Four Corners region, while the extreme southwest,
California, the northwest and most of Idaho and Montana were below
normal. However, almost all mountain snow pack levels in the west
were still above normal by March 1st, ranging from 90% of normal in
parts of Wyoming and Montana to 170% of normal in the northwest and
southern Rockies. Heavy rains caused flooding in the southeast
portion of the island of Hawaii during the first five days of
February. Total rainfall in Hilo was 29.72 inches (755 mm) over a
5-day span from the 1st to the 6th, including 10.82 inches (275 mm)
on the 2nd alone. One location on the Big Island reported nearly 41
inches (1041 mm) of rain during those five days.
- A moderate La Niña (cooler than usual ocean water on the
equator between Peru and the Date Line) has been under way for most
of this winter. Typically, this condition is associated with dry
winters in the far Southwest and wet winters in the Pacific
Northwest and northern Rockies. This normally quite reliable
pattern has been replaced this winter by a more even spatial
distribution of precipitation in many parts of the West. The
pattern in February continues in that vein, with the largest
positive departures in the Colorado River Plateau, and an unusually
heavy snowpack in the San Juan Mountains. As of early February,
summer snowmelt inflow to Lake Powell was projected to be nearly
120% of average, which would be the highest value seen in the last
decade. This assumes that a warm or dry March does not cause a
premature loss of snow to the atmosphere or to dry soils.
For more information, please go to the Western
Regional Climate Center Home Page.
Alaska: (Information provided by Audrey
Rubel at NOAA NWS Alaska Region Headquarters.)
- As expected, temperatures in Alaska were rather chilly in
February. Early in the month, portions of the interior of Alaska
reported overnight temperatures in the -50s (°F) and -60s
(°F) and as low as -72°F (-58°C) in Tok, Alaska on
February 7, 2008. The last time an official temperature below
-70°F (-57°C) was recorded in the Alaska interior was on
January 1, 2000, when a low temperature of -72°F (-58°C)
was reported at Chicken, Alaska. The all-time official record low
for Alaska is -80°F (-62°C) as Prospect Creek on January
23, 1971. At Fairbanks International Airport, the low temperatures
from February 3-9 were below -40°F (-40°C), the longest
streak of below -40°F/C temperatures at Fairbanks since
January 2000. During the winter, the temperature climbed above
freezing at Fairbanks on only two days (January 22 and February
14), which is three days below the 30-year average.
- On the warmer side, Eielson Air Force Base set a new daily
record high temperature of 38°F (3°C) on Valentine's Day.
The previous record high of 37°F (3°C) was set in 1993.
The same station set a new record high on February 18 of 42°F
(6°C). The same day, Delta Junction set a new record high of
43°F (6°C). New daily temperature records were set at
Bettles, Kotzebue, and Fairbanks on February 19 at 37°F
(3°C), 32°F (0°C), and 41°F (5°C),
respectively. Big Delta and Galena also set new daily high
temperature records of 41°F (5°C) and 37°F
(3°C), respectively, on February 21.
- Snowpack in
Alaska was below normal in much of the eastern and northeastern
parts of the state, and well above normal in the far southeast and
northwest. Fairbanks received 2.6 inches of snow on Sunday,
February 24, setting a new daily record snowfall amount.
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