NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

FEBRUARY 2019

1-9: Mostly dry weather prevailed across the northern and central High Plains and the lower Southeast, with markedly above-normal temperatures covering the latter region. In fact, spring-like warmth boosted weekly temperatures at least 10 to 15°F above
normal in large sections of the South, East, and lower Midwest. Farther north, however, bitterly cold weather and periods of wind and snow maintained harsh conditions for livestock across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. The cold conditions held
weekly readings 15 to 30°F below normal on the northern Plains, with late-week temperatures plunging below -30°F across the nation’s northern tier from Montana to Minnesota. Elsewhere, mid-week downpours falling on already saturated soils led to
widespread, lowland flooding in a broad area centered on the Ohio Valley. Weekly rainfall totaled 2 to 4 inches or more in southeastern Missouri, southern sections of Illinois and Indiana, and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee.
Early in the week, warmth briefly surged across the Plains and Midwest in advance of an approaching storm system. Daily-record highs for February 3 climbed to 70°F in Valentine, NE, and 62°F in Indianapolis, IN. Toledo, OH, posted daily-record highs
of 57 and 60°F, respectively, on February 3 and 7, following consecutive daily-record lows of -10°F on January 30-31. From February 5-8, an even more impressive warm spell affected the South, East, and lower Midwest. On February 5, Shreveport, LA,
notched a daily-record high of 80°F. Records for February 5 were also set in Eastern locations such as Washington, DC (74°F), and Boston, MA (65°F). McAllen, TX, logged a high of 91°F (not a record for the date) on February 7. Charleston, SC (78,
80, and 80°F), and Augusta, GA (81, 80, and 85°F), tallied a trio of daily-record highs from February 5-7. On February 6-7, consecutive daily-record highs occurred in locations such as Chattanooga, TN (70 and 80°F); Tupelo, MS (78 and 80°F); and New
Orleans, LA (80 and 81°F). Similarly, daily records were established on February 7-8 in New Bern, NC (82°F both days), and Columbia, SC (83 and 77°F). In Florida, record-setting highs for February 8 surged to 86°F in Gainesville and 85°F in
Jacksonville. In stark contrast, bitterly cold conditions gripped the northern Plains after mid-week. In Montana, Havre (-41°F on February 7) plunged below -40°F for the first time since February 1, 2011. With minima of -39°F on February 7 and 8,
Turner, MT, noted its lowest readings since December 31, 2017 (also -39°F). Williston, ND, recorded -43°F on February 8, marking its coldest day since December 23, 1983, when the temperature plummeted to -50°F. It was Williston’s coldest February
day since February 16, 1936, when it was -50°F. Meanwhile in the Northwest, Yakima, WA, posted consecutive sub-zero, daily-record lows (-6 and -8°F, respectively) on February 6-7. Elsewhere in Washington, Bellingham dipped below the 20-degree mark
each day from February 3-7, including a daily-record low of 15°F on the 4th. Farther south, daily-record lows were set on February 8 in Arizona locations such as Douglas (16°F) and Sierra Vista (19°F).

10-16: Weekly temperatures averaged more than 5°F above normal in the Southeast, as well as parts of the Ohio Valley and southern sections of the Rockies and High Plains, but ranged from 10 to 30°F below normal on the northern Plains. Temperatures
averaged as much as 10°F below normal in Washington, east of the Cascades, and ranged from 5 to 10°F below normal in much of California and the Great Basin. Early in the week, frigid weather accompanied the Northwestern snow. February 10 featured
daily-record lows in Washington locations such as Olympia (5°F) and Seattle (21°F). Elsewhere in Washington, Wenatchee notched a trio of daily-record lows (12, 16, and 13°F) from February 11-13. Farther south, record-setting lows for February 11
included -15°F in Ely, NV, and 11°F in Bishop, CA. In contrast, early week warmth in Florida expanded to cover much of the Southeast. On February 12, daily-record highs soared to 88°F in Melbourne, FL; 82°F in Augusta, GA; and 81°F in Columbia, SC.
Late in the week, warmth developed across parts of Texas, where record-setting highs for February 15 included 93°F in Del Rio and 87°F in Waco.

17-23: Frigid and mostly dry weather covered the northern High Plains, while warm, dry conditions dominated Florida’s peninsula. Weekly temperatures averaged 10 to 30°F below normal across the northern and central Plains, and generally 10 to 20°F
below normal in the northern and central Rockies, the Great Basin, and parts of the Southwest. Additional freezes occurred in California’s Central Valley, as well as some valleys closer to the Pacific Coast. However, most Western winter agricultural
regions have experienced a protracted period of below-normal temperatures. In contrast, ongoing warmth across the lower Southeast pushed weekly readings 10 to 15°F above normal.
Consistent Southeastern warmth set numerous records, including some highest-ever temperatures for February. On the 18th, Florida highs of 89°F tied a February record in Vero Beach and broke a record in Gainesville. The previous record in Gainesville
had been 88°F on February 26, 1971, and several earlier dates. Naples, FL, posted a high of 90°F on February 19, toppling a monthly record (89°F) that had been set most recently on February 21, 2018. Gainesville tied its new monthly record with a
high of 89°F on February 21, and surpassed that mark with a high of 91°F on February 23. Gainesville’s previous earliest 90-degree reading had occurred on March 10, 1974. Outside of Florida, late-week, daily record highs included 86°F (on February
22) in Montgomery, AL, and Savannah, GA. In stark contrast, frigid conditions gripped the northern Plains and much of the West. Daily-record lows in Montana plunged to -23°F (on February 18) in Shelby; -27°F (on February 19) in Dunkirk; and -31°F (
on February 22) in Wisdom. In California’s San Joaquin Valley, Hanford experienced nine freezes from February 6-23, but the lowest temperature in that 18 day span was 30°F. Elsewhere in the West, selected daily-record lows on the 23rd included -28°
F at Utah’s Bryce Canyon Airport; 8°F in Yakima, WA; 9°F in Kingman, AZ; and 31°F in Modesto, CA. Elsewhere in California, South Lake Tahoe notched daily record lows (-13, -8, and -3°F, respectively) on February 19, 22, and 23.

24-28: Bitterly cold conditions persisted across the northern and central Plains and the upper Midwest, holding weekly temperatures 10 to 35°F below normal and maintaining stressful conditions for livestock. Winter wheat, however, remained largely
protected beneath a thick blanket of snow. Below-normal temperatures also prevailed in the Northwest, as well as New England, but warmer-than-normal weather covered much of the Great Basin, Rio Grande Valley, and Southeast. Weekly temperatures averaged
as much as 10°F above normal in the Southeast. Elsewhere, drought continued to develop and expand across the southern High Plains. In South Dakota, records were set in Aberdeen and Sisseton for the lowest February maximum temperature—22 and 25°F,
respectively. In Montana, monthly average temperatures of -0.2°F in Great Falls and -5.9°F in Havre were the second-lowest February values on record, behind -5.2 and -12.8°F, respectively, in 1936. In stark contrast, spring-like temperatures
continued across the Southeast, where Florida locations such as Key West (77.2°F) and Gainesville (68.1°F) completed a record-warm February. Vero Beach, FL, set a February record with a high of 90°F on February 24. Farther north, however, Nebraska
locations such as Grand Island (-11°F) and Omaha (-7°F) logged daily-record lows for February 25. In the upper Great Lakes region, record-setting lows for February 26 dipped to -32°F in International Falls, MN, and -22°F in Ashland, WI. In the
Northwest, sub-zero, daily-record lows included -8°F (on February 28) in Redmond, OR; -4°F (on March 1) in Missoula, MT; and -1°F (on March 1) in Spokane, WA. Starting on March 2, even colder air blasted across the northern Plains. In Montana,
consecutive daily-record lows were set on March 2-3 in Miles City (-28 and -31°F) and Turner (-33 and 26°F).

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