NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

FEBRUARY 2024

Jan. 28-Feb. 3: Rampant warmth pushed weekly temperatures 10 to 30°F above normal throughout the Plains and much of the Midwest, with warmth extending into the Northeast. Readings also broadly averaged at least 10°F above normal across the northern half of the western U.S. In contrast, relatively cool weather lingered in the lower Southeast, mainly across Florida’s peninsula, where temperatures averaged as much as 5°F below normal. Record-setting warmth developed across the nation’s mid-section, including portions of the Plains and Midwest. In parts of Montana, late-January temperatures were more than 100°F higher than mid-January readings. For example, the temperature in Great Falls, MT, rose 101°F, from -37 to 64°F, between January 13 and 30. Similarly, Havre, MT, posted a 104-degree rise, from -44 to 60°F, between January 14 and 30. On January 28, Eugene, OR, tied a monthly record with a high of 69°F. Elsewhere in Oregon, Klamath Falls (67°F on January 29) and Medford (73°F on January 30) established monthly record highs. Reno, NV, opened the week with consecutive daily-record highs (69 and 68°F, respectively) on January 28-29, followed by 8.5 inches of snow on February 4. In Livingston, MT, five consecutive daily-record highs occurred from January 28 – February 1, with highs of 58, 60, 63, 62, and 63°F. By the last day of January, temperatures topped the 60-degree mark as far north as Jamestown, ND, where a daily-record high of 62°F was observed. International Falls, MN, attained 53°F on the 31st, topping the 50 degree mark in January for the first time on record (previously, 49°F on January 20, 1921). February 1 featured Midwestern daily-record highs in Joplin, MO (72°F); Lincoln, NE (65°F); and Burlington, IA (60°F). Joplin was even warmer, reaching 74°F, on February 2.

4-10: The Plains received generally light precipitation, although snow accumulated in parts of Montana and North Dakota.

Significantly above-normal temperatures dominated the Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10 to 20°F above normal throughout the Plains and Midwest, with warmth extending into the Northeast. Readings also broadly averaged at least 10°F above normal into the mid-South, including the Ozark Plateau. In contrast, relatively cool weather covered the southern Atlantic region, as well as California and the Desert Southwest. The remarkably mild weather across the nation’s mid-section included the overnight hours. For example, the temperature in Huron, SD, remained at or above the freezing mark (32°F) each day from February 3-8. Huron’s current February record for the greatest number of minima of 32°F or greater is 8 days, set in 1984 and 1998. On February 4, Midwestern daily record highs reached 54°F in Wausau, WI; 52°F in Muskegon, MI; and 52°F in Rockford, IL. By the 6th, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, reported 57°F, the highest February temperature in that location since 2017. February 8 featured even higher temperatures than those observed earlier in Muskegon (63°F) and Rockford (59°F). Elsewhere in the Midwest on the 8th, stunningly warm daily-record highs included 70°F in Vichy-Rolla, MO; 69°F in Quincy, IL; and 67°F in Ottumwa, IA. By February 9, warmth lingered in the Great Lakes States and spread into the Northeast. The week ended on February 9-10 with consecutive daily-record highs in locations such as Burlington, VT (53 and 56°F), and Rochester, NY (62 and 58°F). Farther south, Eastern daily-record highs for February 10 were also established in Raleigh-Durham, NC (76°F), and Martinsburg, WV (66°F).

11-17: Fast-moving disturbances produced several stripes of snow across the Plains and Midwest, although precipitation was mostly light. Further, a “snow drought” persisted across the upper Midwest, leaving some locations—including Fargo, ND, and Sisseton, SD—with season-to-date totals of just 4 to 10 inches, or less than 25 percent of normal.

18-24: Mild, dry weather dominated the nation’s mid-section, while significant precipitation was confined to parts of the East and West.

Earlier, heavy rain had pelted Florida’s peninsula as the week began. Elsewhere, Western precipitation was heaviest across California, while lighter amounts extended into the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, Intermountain West, and northern Rockies. According to the California Department of Water Resources, the water equivalency of the Sierra Nevada snowpack climbed above 18 inches, more than 80 percent of the late-February average. Weekly temperatures generally averaged 10 to 20°F above normal across the northern and central Plains and upper Midwest. Above-normal temperatures also covered the remainder of the Plains and Midwest, as well as much of the West. In contrast, cooler-than-normal conditions were largely confined to the Southeast and mid-Atlantic. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5°F below normal in scattered locations across the southern Atlantic States. The most significant warmth across the Plains and Midwest peaked on February 20-21. On the 20th, highs topped the 70 degree mark as far north as Nebraska, where daily records included 72°F in Imperial and 71°F in Lincoln. Warm weather extended into the western Corn Belt, including Iowa, resulting in daily-record highs for February 20 in Sioux City (67°F) and Des Moines (64°F). Meanwhile in the Southwest, Douglas, AZ, posted a daily-record high (79°F on the 20th). By February 21, daily-record highs soared to 85°F in Texas locations such as Borger and Lubbock. Elsewhere, record-setting highs for the 21st surged to 83°F in Oklahoma City, OK; 74°F in St. Joseph, MO; and 60°F in Bismarck, ND. As warmth shifted eastward on February 22, daily-record highs in Arkansas rose to 84°F in Texarkana and 77°F in Little Rock. On the 23rd, lingering warmth across the Deep South led to a daily-record high (81°F) in Gulfport, MS. At week’s end, significantly above-normal temperatures quickly returned across the nation’s mid-section. By February 24, daily-record highs climbed to 61°F in Mobridge, SD, and 54°F in Fargo, ND.

25-Mar. 2: warmer-than-normal weather dominated much of the country. Weekly temperatures averaged more than 10°F above normal from portions of the northern and central Plains into the Great Lakes region—and were at least 5°F above normal in a much broader area encompassing the Plains, Midwest, mid-South, and Northeast, as well as much of Arizona and New Mexico. Before the end of meteorological winter, temperatures surged to 90°F or higher—mainly on February 26—from the lower Rio Grande Valley into southern Oklahoma. With a high of 94°F on the 26th, Abilene, TX, tied a monthly record originally set on February 25, 1904. Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas-Ft. Worth (94°F on the 26th) experienced its third-hottest February day, behind 96°F on February 25, 1904, and 95°F on February 21, 1996. At the height of the warm spell, on February 26-27, temperatures rose to 80°F or higher as far north as southeastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. On February 26-27, several Midwestern locations, including La Crosse, WI (67 and 69°F); Dubuque, IA (72°F both days); Rockford, IL (73 and 78°F); Lincoln, IL (76 and 78°F); Moline, IL (76 and 79°F); and Peoria, IL (77 and 78°F), set or tied monthly records on consecutive days. On February 27, monthly and winter (December-February) records were established in locations such as Moline, IL (79°F); Burlington, IA (77°F); and Milwaukee, WI (74°F). In Michigan on the 27th, highs of 73°F in Traverse City and 70°F in Alpena marked the earliest 70-degree warmth on record; previous standards had been set on March 7, 2000. Elsewhere on the 27th, St. Joseph, MO, reported an early-afternoon high of 78°F, with the temperature falling to 20°F by midnight. St. Joseph’s 58-degree daily temperature drop set a station record for any time of year. By week’s end, however, warmth quickly rebounded across the nation’s mid-section. From March 1-3, a trio of daily-record highs occurred in locations such as Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (59, 63, and 74°F); Eau Claire, WI (57, 59, and 70°F); and Traverse City, MI (54, 56, and 64°F). As winds ramped up, a gust to 56 mph was clocked on February 25 in Raton, NM. By February 27, when fires raged across the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma, gusts included 68 mph in Dalhart, TX, and Guymon, OK, as well as 67 mph in Clayton, NM; 65 mph in Borger, TX; and 62 mph in Amarillo and Lubbock, TX.

 

 

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com