NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

FEBRUARY 2019

1-9: Pacific storms marched across the country, delivering widespread snow to the North and West and heavy rain in the mid-South and lower Midwest. In the West, the combination of frequent storms and deeply entrenched cold air led to significant
snowfall, even at lower elevations. In addition, several freezes in California’s San Joaquin Valley locally necessitated protective measures for citrus and other temperature-sensitive crops. Early-month storms boosted the average water content of the
high-elevation Sierra Nevada snowpack to 26 inches (nearly 130 percent of normal) by February 10, up from 17 inches (100 percent) at the end of January and 7 inches (70 percent) at the beginning of the year. Snow broadly fell in several other parts of
the West, including valley locations in the Intermountain region and northern Great Basin. Meanwhile, heavy showers soaked areas along and near the California coast. Frequent snow accompanied the Northwestern chill, starting on February 3-4. During
that 2-day period, snowfall totaled 2.7 inches in Seattle, WA. Farther inland, February 4-5 snowfall reached 11.6 inches in Yakima, WA, and 4.7 inches in Pendleton, OR. Additional Northwestern snow fell on February 8-9, totaling 4.9 inches in Portland,
OR, and 7.9 inches in Seattle. Meanwhile in Montana, record-setting snowfall totals for February 3 reached 9.5 inches in Glasgow and 5.0 inches in Havre. Weekly snowfall totaled 13.9 inches in International Falls, MN, and 10.9 inches in Grand Forks, ND.
Multiple storms struck the upper Midwest, with at least 4 inches of snow falling on February 5, 7, and 10 in Eau Claire, WI; Wausau, WI; and Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. During the 6day period from February 5-10, Eau Claire received 18.7 inches of snow.
At mid-week, heavy rain erupted across the mid-South and lower Midwest. Daily-record precipitation totals for February 6 reached 4.00 inches in Nashville, TN; 2.48 inches in Parkersburg, WV; and 1.78 inches in Bowling Green, KY. The following day,
record-setting amounts for February 7 included 1.91 inches in Dayton, OH; 1.41 inches in London, KY; and 1.34 inches in Evansville, IN. Farther west, the Intermountain region’s heaviest snow fell on February 5-6, when 24-hour amounts in Utah totaled
18.1 inches in Alta and 14.3 inches in Tooele. The Sierra Nevada snowpack gained an average of an inch per day of water equivalency during the week, with the bulk of the storminess occurring early in the week. During the first 5 days of February, Blue
Canyon, CA, reported precipitation totaling 6.21 inches.

10-16: Powerful, late-winter storms crossed the country, delivering periods of heavy precipitation in much of the West, two rounds of significant snow across the North, and another wave of rain in the Ohio Valley and mid-South. Lowland flooding affected
several river basins in the central and eastern Corn Belt, extending southward into the northern Mississippi Delta. The heaviest rain, locally 2 to 4 inches or more, fell during the first half of the week, though showers returned as the week ended.
Meanwhile, much of the North remained under a thick blanket of snow. Extremely heavy snow, totaling a foot or more, fell across portions of the upper Great Lakes region on February 12. The following day, snow spread into the Northeast. Later, snow
returned across portions of the northern Plains and upper Midwest from February 14-16. Elsewhere, California’s heaviest precipitation fell on February 13-14, resulting in flash flooding and debris flows. One of the most damaging mudslides struck in
Sausalito, CA, near San Francisco. in California, dailyrecord totals for the 13th included 2.49 inches in downtown San Francisco and 2.11 inches in Sacramento. February 14 was the wettest day on record at the observation site on southern California’s
Palomar Mountain, where 10.10 inches fell (previously, 9.58 inches on March 1, 1991). On the same date, Palomar Mountain experienced a wind gust to 69 mph. Palm Springs, CA, received 3.69 inches of rain on February 14, accounting for 64 percent of its
normal annual precipitation. Heavy precipitation also overspread desert areas, with February 14 totals topping an inch in locations such as Las Vegas, NV (1.11 inches); Prescott, AZ (1.07 inches); and Bishop, CA (1.06 inches). Farther north, the week
had begun with a significant winter storm in progress. Record-setting snowfall totals for February 10 included 5.1 inches in Winnemucca, NV; 4.3 inches in Lewiston, ID; and 4.0 inches in Spokane, WA. Another daily-record snowfall, 7.2 inches, occurred
in Spokane on February 11. Elsewhere in Washington, Seattle also collected a daily-record snowfall (6.1 inches) for February 11. Seattle’s month-to-date snowfall climbed to 20.2 inches, representing its highest monthly total since January 1969 (45.4
inches) and highest February total since 1916 (35.4 inches). Through the 16th, February snowfall records had been already broken in locations such as Glasgow, MT (23.3 inches; previously, 21.4 inches in 1952), and Pendleton, OR (19.3 inches; previously,
16.8 inches in 1994). Meanwhile, an upper Midwestern storm dumped more than a foot of snow on February 12 in Marquette, MI (16.5 inches), and Wausau, WI (15.7 inches). Elsewhere in Wisconsin, Eau Claire achieved a February snowfall record (28.7 inches
through the 16th; previously, 28.2 inches in 1936), aided by a daily-record total of 9.5 inches on the 12th. In Maine, Caribou reported a daily-record snowfall (12.9 inches) for February 13. Concurrently, heavy rain in the South, East, and lower
Midwest led to record-setting totals for February 11 in Jonesboro, AR (3.64 inches); Louisville, KY (1.54
inches); and Evansville, IN (1.36 inches). Daily-record totals for February 12 topped an inch in Cincinnati, OH (1.20 inches), and Atlantic City, NJ (1.22 inches). Late in the week, snow returned across the North. On February 15, daily-record
snowfall totals included 5.2 inches in Rapid City, SD, and 4.0 inches in Billings, MT. Record-setting Midwestern snowfall totals for the 16th included 7.6 inches in Waterloo, IA, and 5.4 inches in Madison, WI. Des Moines, IA, received 9.5 inches of
snow on February 16-17.

17-23: Drenching rain resulted in aggravated and expanded flooding from the northern Mississippi Delta into the southern Appalachians. Weekly rainfall totaled 4 to 8 inches or more in the flood-affected area, with some of the highest amounts occurring
in the Tennessee Valley. On February 23-24, thunderstorms spawned several tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Farther north, a late-week blizzard engulfed portions of the northern and central Plains and upper Midwest. The short-lived but
fierce storm produced several inches of snow, driven by wind gusts in excess of 60 mph. High winds also raked the southern Plains— without the benefit of significant precipitation—compounding the effects of short-term dryness. Meanwhile, the late-
week storm also dumped heavy snow in the Southwest—and even in lower elevations of southern California. In fact, rain and snow showers throughout the West provided some additional relief in drought affected areas. Significant precipitation, including
low-elevation snow, accompanied the Western chill. Las Vegas, NV, received a trace of snow on February 17-18 and 0.8 inch on February 20-21. Snowfall on February 22 totaled 3.6 inches in Albuquerque, NM, and 1.9 inches in Tucson, AZ. Elsewhere in
Arizona, Flagstaff reported a phenomenal 16.6 inches of snow from February 16-18 and 40.8 inches from February 20-22. Flagstaff also endured its snowiest calendar day on record, with a 35.9-inch total on February 21 (previously, 31.0 inches on December
30, 1915). Snow also fell in southern California on February 21, with a trace noted in
communities such as Northridge, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks. Farther east, late-week snowfall ranged from 2 to 5 feet in the southern portion of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. East of the Rockies, multiple rounds of precipitation
affected several areas. Rochester, MN, measured 4.2 and 5.8 inches of snow on February 17 and 20, respectively, followed by 12.1 inches (and a peak wind gust to 57 mph) on February 23-24. Concordia, KS, measured 3.3 inches of snow on February 19-20 and
8.6 inches on February 23. In Wisconsin, an all-time monthly snowfall records were established in locations such as Wausau (48.6 inches through February 24; previously, 37.6 inches in December 2008) and Eau Claire (48.3 inches; previously, 35.2 inches
in January 1929). Meanwhile, mid- to late-week downpours drenched the interior Southeast. February 23 featured daily-record totals in Knoxville, TN (5.08 inches); Muscle Shoals, AL (3.81 inches); Danville, VA (1.88 inches); and Peoria, IL (1.27 inches).
For Knoxville, the previous wettest February day had occurred in 1875, when 4.34 inches fell on February 24. Tupelo, MS, received at least an inch of rain each day from February 19-23, totaling 12.87 inches. Tupelo’s month-to-date rainfall of 15.48
inches surpassed its February 2018 record of 12.98 inches. In Tennessee, February 1-24 totals of 13.47 inches in Nashville, 12.83 inches in Knoxville, and 12.35 inches in Crossville also set monthly records. By late February 23, wind gusts in Missouri
were clocked to 66 mph in St. Louis and 63 mph in Columbia. Shortly after daybreak on February 24, gusts in Iowa reached 62 mph in Davenport and 60 mph in Cedar Rapids.

24-28: Strong Pacific storms battered areas from Oregon and northern California to the northern Rockies, delivering heavy precipitation. Some of the heaviest rain fell in northern California, leading to extensive flooding along the Russian River and in
several other basins. Meanwhile, heavy snow buried the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, and portions of the interior Northwest, including desert and low-elevation sites in Oregon. Farther east, snow also blanketed the northern and central Plains, as
well as portions of the Great Lakes region and the Northeast. At the same time, heavy rain subsided across the mid-South, as showers mostly shifted into the Gulf and Atlantic Coast States. Nevertheless, lowland flooding lingered in the lower
Mississippi Valley and environs, as water drained from creeks and streams into larger rivers. heavy, late-February precipitation fell in Oregon and northern California. In Oregon, February 24 featured daily-record precipitation totals in North Bend (3.
53 inches) and Eugene (1.92 inches). Impressively, Eugene received precipitation totaling 4.40 inches, including 18.8 inches of snow, during the last 7 days of February. The bulk of Eugene’s snow, 18.5 inches, fell from February 24-26. Bend, OR,
reported 12.5 inches of snow in a 24hour period on February 24-25. Elsewhere in Oregon, Prineville netted 21.1 inches of snow from February 25-28. Farther south, record-setting rainfall totals in California for February 26 included 2.52 inches in
downtown Sacramento and 1.16 inches in Stockton. Downtown Sacramento collected 4.13 inches of rain from February 25-27. Closer to the northern California coast, rainfall during the last 6 days of February included 8.44 inches in Crescent City and 7.03
inches in Ukiah. The Russian River at Guerneville, CA , crested 13.38 feet above flood stage on February 27. This marked the highest water level in Guerneville since January 1995, when the river crested 16.00 feet above flood stage. The record crest
in Guerneville, 17.50 feet above flood stage, was set on February 18, 1986. Farther east, the week began in the midst of a heavy snowfall in the upper Great Lakes region and a high-wind event from the Midwest into the Northeast. On February 24, daily-
record snowfall totals included 16.0 inches in Marquette, MI, and 11.8 inches in Eau Claire, WI. Marquette clocked a peak wind gust to 57 mph, but February 24 gusts from 60 to 75 mph were reported in dozens of other communities from the western Corn
Belt into the northern Mid-Atlantic States. A gust to 74 mph occurred in Niagara Falls, NY. Several days later, another late-season snowfall occurred in the Great Lakes and Northeastern States. Record-setting snowfall totals for February 27 included 7.
3 inches in Syracuse, NY, and 6.0 inches in Houghton Lake, MI. Farther south, scattered daily-record rainfall totals reached 2.09 inches (on February 27) in New Orleans, LA, and 1.43 inches (on February 26) in Victoria, TX. At week’s end,
precipitation rapidly spread eastward across the country, starting in California. Record-setting rainfall amounts for March 2 totaled 1.54
inches in Santa Barbara and 0.92 inch in Modesto. Grand Junction, CO, also reported a daily-record total (0.64 inch) for March 2, while North Platte, NE, measured a daily-record snowfall (6.0 inches).

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