Winter came back with a cold and windy month

By Russell Russ
Outlined below are February weather highlights from Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2 SW, as recorded by the Great Mountain Forest Corporation. The station has recorded weather observations since January 1, 1932.
The month’s high temperature of 43 degrees was observed on February 20. The low temperature of minus 3 degrees was observed on February 19. The average temperature this month was 17.1 degrees, which was 4.2 degrees below normal. Yes, below normal. The coldest temperature ever officially recorded in Connecticut, minus 37 degrees, occurred on February 16, 1943. It was observed in Norfolk at our “valley” station, located just off Westside Road. Our neighbors at the Falls Village Weather Service station on that date recorded minus 32 while our Norfolk 2 SW station had minus 26 degrees.
Although it wasn’t a record-setting cold month, it sure felt like it at times with all the wind we had. There were at least eight days where we observed wind chill values at or below zero degrees and that is with only 28 days this month. The coldest wind chill value we saw at the station was minus 28 degrees on February 19.
The total precipitation recorded for the month was 2.73 inches, which was 1.01 inches below normal. We did finally get some snow this month. The monthly snowfall total of 17.5 inches was 4.1 inches below normal. The winter storm on February 13 and 14 produced 6 inches of a nasty mixture of sleet and snow that proved to be quite difficult to shovel, plow or blow. For those who enjoy snow removal this particular storm took the fun right out of it.
Our winter season (October through April) snowfall total through February is 23.1 inches. Comparing this season to date to the last 75 years we are now 46.7 inches below a normal season’s snowfall total.