February 2015 Climate Summary

It was an interesting month across the country, with record warmth in the west, snowstorm after snowstorm in the east, and even multiple rounds of wintry weather in the Deep South. You can read part of what conditions were like in the High Plains region below, or you can read the complete version here. 

Overview - On the Dividing Line

This month, there was a large contrast in temperatures across the United States due to a ridge to the west and a trough to the east. The extreme warmth in the west was a concern due to the continued low snowpack and the cold in the east allowed for wintry weather to impact locations even in the Deep South. Because the High Plains region was on the dividing line of the warm and cold air, eastern areas were below normal, central areas were near normal, and western areas were above normal. This resulted in impressive temperature departures ranging from about 12.0 degrees F (6.7 degrees C) below normal in parts of North Dakota to about 12.0 degrees F (6.7 degrees C) above normal in parts of Wyoming. Interestingly, even with these large temperature departures, locations with long-term station histories did not set records and relatively few locations ranked in the top 20 coldest or warmest Februaries on record.

As is often the case, precipitation varied across the region. Areas picking up heavy precipitation included central Wyoming and the Front Range in Colorado. Liquid equivalent precipitation totals in those areas generally ranged from 200-400 percent of normal precipitation, however isolated locations in Colorado topped 400 percent of normal. Other areas receiving ample precipitation included portions of western and southeastern Nebraska, far western Kansas, and pockets of North Dakota. These areas had precipitation totals of at least 150 percent of normal. Several locations with long station histories set new records for snowiest and/or wettest February on record. Likewise, numerous locations ranked in the top 10. There were dry areas of the region as well, including South Dakota, southern Kansas, southwestern Wyoming, and portions of eastern North Dakota and northwestern Colorado where precipitation totaled 50 percent of normal, at best. A few isolated areas received little to no precipitation and ranked in the top 10 driest Februaries on record. At this time of the year, precipitation does not contribute a large percentage of the annual total; however dry areas will need to be monitored this spring when deficits can grow more quickly.

Much more information is available in the PDF version of the summary including temperature and precipitation highlights, snowpack and drought updates, and a look at the upcoming season. Click here to read more!