Second Warmest February on Record
By Russell Russ

The month began with all ponds iced over, 5 inches of snow on the ground, cold temperatures and then several days with snowfall. Through mid month temperatures were running about 5 degrees below average for February, and we had already received our average snowfall amount for the entire month. Winter had arrived. The latter part of the month was a completely different story, with barely a trace of snowfall, very warm temperatures and even a thunderstorm on February 25. There were five days during the last week of the month that set records for daily high temperatures. The snow was all gone, and the ponds were free of ice by the close of the month. Spring had arrived.

The month’s low temperature of 5 degrees was observed on February 10. The high temperature of 67 was observed on February 24. The average monthly mean temperature was 30.2 degrees, 8.3 degrees above normal. It was the second warmest February over the last 86 years. Daily record highs: 55 on February 22, 62 on February 23, 67 on February 24, 60 on February 25 and 57 on February 28. The warmest February on record was in 2002 when the monthly mean temperature was 30.7 degrees. For comparison, the coldest two months (of any month) on record for this station are February 1934 with 9.0 degrees and February 2015 (just two years ago) with 10.9 degrees.

The total precipitation recorded for the month was 2.69 inches, 0.94 inch below normal. The total precipitation amount for the 2017 calendar year, January and February, of 6.22 inches is 1.42 inches below normal. The ongoing drought continues to slowly get worse.

The monthly snowfall total of 20.8 inches was 0.2 inch above normal. It did not seem like it snowed much, but it did—it all just came during the first half of the month. The 2017 calendar year snowfall total of 29.3 inches is 12.2 inches below normal. The snowfall total for this winter season, October through February, is 66.1 inches, just 0.1 inch above normal. We would be considerably more below normal for snowfall had it not been for a fairly snowy November.

A look ahead to March shows that winter was in fact not done yet. After two near-record warm days to start the month, it quickly turned cold. Halfway through March, temperatures were running nearly 6 degrees cooler than normal with many nights dipping down into the single digits. Early March was cold, but relatively snow free until the March 14 blizzard hit. The weather station recorded nearly 16 inches, but many other locations in the area saw depths ranging from 14 to 24 inches. The big nor’easter with its heavy snow bands produced varying snowfall totals. After the multiple single-digit mornings, many ponds icing over again and then the heavy snowfall with much blowing and drifting, many wondered where our early spring had gone. By mid-March the monthly snowfall amount was already nearly 3 inches above normal. The maple syrup makers may have gotten a good jump on the season in mid-February, but Mother Nature put a hold on the syrup business during February’s late-month warm spell and again during early March’s cold spell.

Weather observations are recorded by the Great Mountain Forest at Norfolk’s National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Observer Station, Norfolk 2SW.