How Does February 2016 Measure Up?

February 2016 Brought Below Average Snow

I find it ironic that today is leap day.  That’s because this is the first time since the last leap year in 2012 that Washington, D.C. hasn’t had a colder than average February.  The weather this month has been very changeable with extremely cold weather in addition to spring-like warmth and severe weather.
 

This month’s weather can be broken into roughly three distinct parts.  The first eight days of February featured above average temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  That was followed by a shift in the position of the jet stream which ushered in the longest stretch of subfreezing temperatures that Washingtonians have experienced since 2004.  Although no record lows were set, temperatures remained below freezing in the Nation’s Capital from February 11 – 15.  The coldest temperature to occur in the Nation’s Capital this month was on Valentine’s Day when it was only 13 degrees.  This month’s warmest temperature was 65 degrees and it occurred four times – most recently on February 29.

Through February 15, the average monthly temperature in Washington, D.C. was more than two degrees colder than average.  However, another significant shift in the weather pattern followed with warmer than average temperatures dominating the final third of the month.  Last February was the coldest in Washington, D.C. since 1979.  By comparison, this February will finish with above average temperatures on seven of its final nine days.  The Nation’s Capital will also finish February 2016 with an average monthly temperature nearly a full degree warmer than average.

Only 3.1” of snow fell this month at National Airport, making this the first time since 2013 Washingtonians have had below average February snowfall.  This month was also significant because there were more than 500 reported cases of severe weather from Florida to Maine on February 24.  The National Weather Service confirmed that eight tornadoes occurred in Virginia as part of this severe weather outbreak – and tragically caused four fatalities.

The end of February marks the end of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere.  Despite the warmer than average start to the 2015-2016 winter, 21.9 inches of snow still occurred – greater than the seasonal average of 15.4 inches.  Although measureable snow has occurred during the previous three Marchs in the Nation’s Capital, area residents tired of winter’s chill can look forward to the arrival of the world-famous cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin.