February 2023 Observations and Discussions

[OmahaSnowFan]

February will finish with only 8 below normal high days and 9 below normal low nights.

Also snowed all of 2 times this month, but rained about 1.5” total. Thankfully one of the two times it snowed was about 6” of accumulation bc the other was just a dusting.

[chescowxman]

Mild day to start March we may see some wintry weather before a change to rain on Friday PM. Well the winter months of December-January-February finished warm as we all know - avg. temp was 37.7 degrees. In fact it was the 3rd warmest on record behind only 1932 (39.5) and 2016 (37.8 ) Jan-Feb was the 2nd warmest first 2 months of the year at 39.3 again behind only 1932. February was the 4th warmest in Chester County history at 39.1 behind only 2017 (41.3) 1909 and 2018. Precipitation wise is was the 10th driest February with only 1.42" of water equivalent the driest being the scant 0.73" that fell back in 2002. Snow wise with only 0.5" of snow for the month this was the 11th least snowy February on record with 9 years recording no snow at all during what is our snowiest average month of the year.

Records for today: High 72 (1972) / Low 5 (1980) / Rain 1.45" (1954) / Snow 9.5" (1952)

[Stormy]

 

On 2/28/2023 at 2:18 PM, Hoosier said:

NWS Chicago posted this bit of info regarding the tornadoes yesterday

 

• These were the first February tornadoes to occur since February 28, 2017.

• Since 1950, only 8 February tornadoes had been documented prior to Monday, February 27. Seven of those occurred on February 28, 2017, while the other one occurred in Iroquois County on February 16, 2006.

• With a tornado being confirmed in Naperville, 2023 is now the third consecutive calendar year that a tornado had occurred within the city limits of Naperville.

I remember the February 2017 event! I was on the western area near where isolated storms were intensifying and was grazed just to the north by two supercells following the same path with wall clouds nearly overhead. One was a damaging hail storm followed by hail fog literally missing here by only a half mile. Had a little hail n rain from both cells, but mainly a great view of photogenic supercells! My neighbor had all of the many west facing windows on their barn broken out from hail if I recall correctly. Such storm are yet rarer for Iowa in February than neighboring states south and east! 

[Stormy]

My total snowfall for February is 12.5" while my 30-year average for here starting in 1990 ('90 - 2019) is 8.3". Total liquid precip. is over 4" with the same 30-year average at 1.90". February of 2001, 2008, & 2019 all were yet wetter, but many February's were snowier with Feb. 2008 being the snowiest with 30.5"! My season total snowfall is now right at 28".

FYI, I normally have higher liquid equivalent precip. amounts from snowstorms & windy rainstorms since I often kind of lean my manual gauges toward the wind for more accuracy. Since I have multiple gauges of the same type, I have done some research to satisfy my curiosity, and leaning gauges do show higher amounts. But it only works to do that when I'm at home as winds will shift direction! What a pain! Lol

 

This would show me at the edge of at least 4" Feb. total. 

Edited March 3 by Sparky