Another Nontypical Month

By Russell Russ
Like last year, this February once again lacked many characteristics of a solidly winter-like month for
Norfolk. January was above normal for temperature and snowfall and way above normal for
precipitation. While February temperatures were even more above normal, both precipitation and
snowfall were way below normal. Minimal snowfall for one of Norfolk’s typically solid winter months did
not make the skiers happy. Skiers have not been happy with our winters for several years. On the plus
side, the warmer temperatures early in the month allowed the maple trees to be tapped a week or two
earlier than usual, providing a jump on the maple syrup season.

The month’s low temperature of six degrees was on Feb. 20 and the high of 56 degrees was observed on
Feb. 27. With a monthly mean temperature of 28.8 degrees, February was 6.6 degrees above normal
and ranked as Norfolk’s seventh warmest February over the last 93 years. There were two days with
record daily high temperatures, Feb. 10 (54 degrees) and Feb. 27 (56 degrees). Feb. 9, at 48 degrees,
was just one degree shy of a record. There were no days with below-zero temperatures and just two
days in the single digits. The largest reason for the above-average warmth was not the several days in
the upper forties to mid-fifties, it was that the nighttime lows just have not been as low as they typically
should be for February. The warmest February on record was in 2002 with 30.7 degrees and the coldest
was in 1934 with 9.0 degrees, making that also the coldest month of any recorded at this weather
station.

Total precipitation recorded for the month was 1.88 inches, 1.75 inches below normal. This February
was Norfolk’s eighth driest; last February was its sixth driest. There were just eight days with
measurable precipitation and none of those produced a whole lot of it. February’s weather patterns
were just not forming in a way to produce much snow or even rain in Norfolk. The record for the most
total precipitation in February is 11.70 inches from 1981 and the least ever was 0.60 inch in 1987.

February 2024’s snowfall total of 7.3 inches was 13.0 inches below normal. It was Norfolk’s fourth least
snowy February on record and the least snowy since 2012. The largest snow event for the month
occurred on Feb. 13-14, resulting in a storm total of 3.6 inches. On-ground snow depths ranged from
four inches to nothing, with little to maybe two inches for a vast majority of the month. Norfolk’s
snowiest February was in 1969 with 52.4 inches. The least snowy was in 1998 with 4.8 inches.
The 2024 calendar year snowfall total through February was 33.5 inches, 7.3 inches below normal. The
snowfall total for this winter season (October through February) was 40.8 inches, 24.3 inches below
normal. In recent years Norfolk has seen several low snowfall winters and once again this season seems
to be no different. Will winter return in March, April or even May? Last March recorded over 30 inches
of snowfall.

An early look into March’s weather through March 22 showed that winter was still holding off for the
most part. Temperatures were well above normal, currently tied as sixth warmest. The total
precipitation was 4.19 inches and most of that was in the form of rain. This was near average, but more
rain is in the forecast for the end of the month. Snowfall for the first three weeks measured just 1.2
inches, currently tied as our fifth least snowy March. Not favorable numbers for snow lovers.
Weather observations are recorded by the Great Mountain Forest at Norfolk’s National Weather Service
Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2SW