February 2010
North Country Monthly Climate Summary
TEMPERATURE SUMMARY...
FEBRUARY ENDED UP MUCH WARMER THAN NORMAL, WITH MOST OF THE NORTH COUNTRY 5 TO 6 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH. EXCEPT FOR ONE COLD SPELL, AROUND THE 5TH OR 6TH OF THE MONTH, MOST OF FEBRUARY WAS AT OR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATUREWISE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE DURING THE LAST HALF OF THE MONTH, WHEN AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURES WERE SOME 10-18 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL. ALTHOUGH DAYTIME HIGHS WERE SOMEWHAT MILD, IT WAS THE NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES THAT REALLY SKEWED THE READINGS, WITH MANY NIGHTS 15 TO 20 DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL FOR MID TO LATE FEBRUARY. THE WARMEST DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE THE 25TH AND 26TH, WHEN MANY SITES REACHED INTO THE MID 40S.
TEMPERATURE STATISTICS ACROSS THE NORTH COUNTRY FOR THE MONTH OF
FEBRUARY...
| |
Burlington |
Montpelier |
Massena |
Saint Johnsbury |
| Avg. Temp |
26.0 |
24.6 |
23.5 |
25.2 |
| Departure |
+6.1 |
+5.6 |
+6.0 |
+5.0 |
| Highest |
45 ON 26TH |
40 ON 22ND, 26TH |
41 ON 23RD, 27TH |
42 ON 25TH, 26TH |
| Lowest |
5 ON 6TH |
3 ON 6TH |
2 ON 6TH, 12TH |
-1 ON 6TH |
BELOW ARE DAILY TEMPERATURE GRAPHS FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY FOR EACH
BURLINGTON, MONTPELIER, MASSENA, AND SAINT JOHNSBURY.
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PRECIPITATION SUMMARY...
PRECIPITATION WAS GENERALLY NEAR OR BELOW NORMAL ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTH COUNTRY DURING FEBRUARY 2010. MUCH OF THE MONTH WAS DOMINATED BY HIGH PRESSURE, WHICH KEPT MOST MAJOR STORM SYSTEMS SHUNTED WELL TO THE SOUTH. AS A RESULT, THE FIRST THREE WEEKS WERE MAINLY DRY ACROSS MOST OF VERMONT AND NORTHERN NEW YORK, WITH ANY PRECIPITATION FALLING AS LIGHT SNOW. BY THE END OF THE FEBRUARY, HOWEVER, THE PERSISTENT HIGH FINALLY EXITED NEW ENGLAND, ALLOWING A LARGE LOW PRESSURE TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. THIS BROUGHT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA ON THE 23RD AND 24TH. IN THE VALLEYS, MUCH OF THIS FELL AS RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW, WITH SNOWFALL FOR THE EVENT TOTALLING 10 TO 14 INCHES. IN THE MOUNTAINS, MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION FELL AS A VERY HEAVY, WET SNOW, WITH MANY LOCATIONS IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS SEEING OVER 20 INCHES. THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS FELL IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN GREEN MOUNTAINS OF VERMONT, WITH 32 INCHES IN WARREN, 31 INCHES NEAR WAITSFIELD, 26 INCHES IN RANDOLPH, AND 25 INCHES IN BETHEL. ALL IN ALL, LIQUID PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS OF 1.5 TO 2.5 INCHES WERE COMMON.
PRECIPITATION STATISTICS ACROSS THE NORTH COUNTRY FOR THE MONTH OF
FEBRUARY...
| |
Burlington |
Montpelier |
Massena |
Saint Johnsbury |
| Monthly Total " |
2.13 |
2.51 |
0.84 |
1.12 |
| Departure |
+0.46 |
+0.55 |
-1.28 |
-0.92 |
| Greatest 24hr |
1.47 ON 23RD-24TH |
1.59 ON 23RD-24TH |
0.35 ON 23RD-24TH |
0.51 ON 25TH-26TH |
| SNOW/SLEET |
|
|
|
|
| Monthly Total " |
24.0 |
|
|
7.2 |
| Greatest 24hr |
12.9 ON 24TH |
|
|
3.7 on 23RD-24TH |
BURLINGTON FORECAST AREA ACCUMULATED MONTHLY RAIN GAUGE PRECIPITATION (IN INCHES)
FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.
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BURLINGTON FORECAST AREA ACCUMULATED MONTHLY SNOWFALL (IN INCHES)
FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.
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MONTHLY WEATHER PATTERNS AND GLOBAL CLIMATE DRIVERS...
THE MAIN WEATHER FEATURE FOR FEBRUARY WAS A STRONG 500MB LOW THAT LINGERED OFF THE CANADIAN MARITIMES THROUGH MUCH OF THE MONTH. AS A RESULT...STORM SYSTEMS THAT DEVELOPED OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS OR OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO LIFTED NORTHWARD INTO THE MID ATLANTIC...AND THEN WERE FORCED EASTWARD BY THE BLOCKING LOW. ANY PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THESE SYSTEMS REMAINED WELL TO THE SOUTH...WITH THE NORTH COUNTRY JUST SEEING OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW. THIS PATTERN FINALLY BROKE IN LATE FEBRUARY, WHEN THE 500MB LOW FINALLY SHIFTED NORTH, ALLOWING A SURFACE SYSTEM TO SLIDE ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND HOVER OFF THE MAINE COAST. WITH RELATIVELY WARM TEMPERATURES AND PLENTY OF ATLANTIC MOISTURE, MUCH OF THE NORTH COUNTRY SAW 1 TO 2 FEET OF HEAVY, WET SNOW ON THE 23RD THROUGH THE 24TH.
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THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IS FORECASTING TEMPERATURES TO BE ABOUT NORMAL FOR MARCH 2010, WHILE PRECIPITATION WILL BE A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL.
EL NINO IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH SPRING 2010. SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES REMAINED STEADY DURING FEBRUARY, HOLDING AT 1.2 DEGREES CELSIUS ABOVE NORMAL. FORECAST MODELS INDICATE THAT EL NINO WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN THROUGH THE SPRING, WITH SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES REACHING CLOSE TO NORMAL LEVELS BY SUMMER, PERHAPS EVEN DROPPING BELOW NORMAL BY LATER IN THE YEAR (LA NINA). HOWEVER, PREDICTING EXACTLY WHEN EL NINO WILL DISSIPATE REMAINS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. IMPACTS FROM EL NINO ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH MAY 2010. THIS INCLUDES WETTER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES, THE SOUTH CENTRAL STATES, AND FLORIDA, WHILE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND GREAT LAKES WILL BE DRIER THAN NORMAL. ABOVE-AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ARE MOST LIKELY ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF STATES (EXCLUDING NEW ENGLAND AND THE NORTHERN PLAINS), WHILE TEMPERATURES WILL BE COLDER THAN NORMAL IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN STATES.
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER MARCH 2010 PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK...
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CLIMATE PREDICITION CENTER MARCH 2010 TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
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Figure 1: Burlington Monthly Temperature Trend
Figure 2: Montpelier Monthly Temperature Trend
Figure 3: Massena Monthly Temperature Trend
Figure 4: Saint Johnsbury Temperature Trend
Figure 5: Monthly Precipitation Map
Figure 6: Monthly Snowfall Map
Figure 7: 500MB Geopotential Height Anomalies
Figure 8: Climate Prediction Center Precipitation Outlook
Figure 9: Climate Prediction Center Temperature Outlook
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