DC’s remarkable February weather

 

A late-February day at Great Falls

Despite the stellar weather in the nation’s capital over the final two days of February, this month has been much colder than average. Although this month had near average rainfall, it will finish with below average snowfall for the tenth time in the last 11 years.

While DC didn’t set any temperature or precipitation records, significant February weather benchmarks occurred. For example, temperatures remained below freezing on February 1. That’s unusual since it was DC’s ninth consecutive day of subfreezing temperatures for the longest such streak since 1989, according to NOAA.

While February’s final average monthly temperature (combining daily high/low temperatures) won’t be available until next month, it will finish close to 4° below average. That would make this month DC’s coldest February since 2015. Although February is DC’s snowiest month of the year with an average of 5”, this February will finish with only 1.1”.

This month’s signature weather story across the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) has been the continuation of the frigid weather that dominated local weather headlines in December and January. Not only were the first 10 days of February colder than average, but seven of the first 10 days were at least 10° below average. By comparison, no day this month was more than five degrees warmer than average. There have also been some very windy February days. DC reported wind gusts of 58 mph and 50 mph on February 7 and February 8, according to NOAA.

The prolonged stretches of cold weather in January and February are expected to delay the peak bloom of DC’s famous cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin. The stretches of cold weather last winter (2024-2025), though less extreme than this winter, delayed peak bloom until March 28, 2025. By comparison, following the relatively mild 2023-2024 winter season, the National Park Service declared peak bloom on March 17, 2024. The average date for peak bloom (defined by 70% of the blossoms in peak bloom) isn’t until early April, but has occurred in mid-to-late March in eight of the last 10 years.