Challenges of Severe Weather in February

 

NOAA's Severe Weather Outlook for February 16

 “Severe weather” is defined as a thunderstorm that contains any of the following: hail 1”/+ in diameter; wind gusts of 58/+ mph; or a tornado.   Severe weather is less common in the United States during the colder winter months than it is during the rest of the year.  However, it’s more frequent during February as compared to December or January.  

When severe weather does occur in February, it can most often be found on or near the Gulf Coast.  That’s because weather conditions there are often more favorable than in other parts of the country.  Nevertheless, some February outbreaks have occurred in other parts of the United States that made them unusual.

2020:  An exceedingly rare February tornado outbreak occurred on February 7 in the D.C. Metro Area.  A total of six tornadoes touched down in Maryland and Virginia between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.  Four of the six tornadoes were ranked as EF-1’s with winds between 86 mph and 110 mph.  Although some tree and structural damage was reported, it was fortunate that no injuries or fatalities occurred.
 
An EF-0 occurred in Loudoun County, Virginia, in the town of Leesburg and had winds of 85 mph.  It was on the ground for three minutes and had a track of 3.3 miles.  According to National Weather Service records, this tornado broke the record of April 16 (1993, 2011) for earliest Loudoun County tornado by more than two months.  Tornado intensity is measured on the Enhanced Fujita Scale that ranges from EF-0 to EF-5. 

2016:  A larger tornado outbreak with 33 confirmed tornadoes from Florida to Pennsylvania occurred on February 24, 2016.  Three deaths were reported from one of the tornadoes that touched down in Sussex County, Virginia.  Only one tornado occurred in the D.C. Metro Area during this outbreak with an EF-0 in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.

2008:  A severe weather outbreak from February 4 – 6 was unusual for several reasons.  The three-day total included over 600 reported cases of severe weather, with more than 130 confirmed tornadoes.  The most active of the three days was February 5, with over 500 cases of severe weather from Texas to West Virginia.  A severe weather outbreak that covers that much geography is more common in April or May.  What made this outbreak especially tragic was that 28 fatalities were reported.

1998:  Another significant outbreak occurred in central Florida on February 22 – 23.  NOAA reported that the 42 lives lost in this disaster made it one of Florida’s deadliest.  The tornadoes occurred between 10:55 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. when most people were asleep.  This underscores the need to get weather alerts on your phone or to have a NOAA weather radio which provides the latest weather watches and warnings for your area 24/7.