February 2026 OBS & Discussion

[SACRUS]

 

21 / 1.  Lets see how many of the next 4 days can get to / above freezing.  Light snow / showers / flurries tomorrow night into Wed morning.  Sam on Fri into sat with arctic front (liht snow - showers/flurries) and perhaps just as or coldest airmass of the season 2/7 - 2/9.  Moderation towards normal in the 2/10 - 2/13 period but overall continued colder.  Storm in the 2/11 - 2/13 period ridin west on the latest loner range forecats.

[MJO812]

Streak might be broken here today. High of 35.

[weatherpruf]

9 minutes ago, CPcantmeasuresnow said:

Things evened up February 25-26 2010 when NYC received 21 inches and much of the HV west of the Hudson received 25-40 inches. I received 35 in Highland Mills the biggest storm total I've recorded here.

look at the dividing line between white and grey...that area got largely missed by both storms, though the second delivered 8 inches. the first was 1-4. reports in edison of 13 but woodbridge reported only 8. still a pretty good winter here, as we got something out of all of them, and the 2/6 storm was close enough  we drove down to the camden aquarium that sunday just to marvel at the snow drifts.the kids are all grown now. it think we got 10-12 out of the december storm too, but that winter the mid atlantic had 3 epic storms....i've never seen that, though in 2011 we'd come close to it, with two monsters and one 10-12. another la nina, and it didn't snow after han; we had an ice storm in early feb and that was it.

[WestBabylonWeather]

1 hour ago, bluewave said:

Unfortunately, 2-5-10 was one of our worst cases of suppression as the record snows went just to our south. 
 

This makes me very displeased 

[Wannabehippie]

14 minutes ago, MJO812 said:

Streak might be broken here today. High of 35.

We may get above freezing this whole week, until that Arctic front brings in more bitter cold for the weekend. 

[North and West]

Streak might be broken here today. High of 35.

Good. Let’s have some melting.


.

[NEG NAO]

36 minutes ago, MJO812 said:

Streak might be broken here today. High of 35.

I didn't realize the low 30's was 35 degrees - even if it reached 35 for a couple of hours then dipped into the 20's in the evening there would be very little snow melt - and thats the forecast for the entire week - low 30's for highs

ZFP from KOKX

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

 

EWR: 62 (1973)
NYC: 59 (1988)
LGA: 59 (1988)
JFK: 56 (1973)


Lows:

EWR: -2 (1961)
NYC: -3 (1881)
LGA: -1 (1961)
JFK: -1 (1961)

Historical: 

1789: Extreme cold occurred on Ground Hog Day. It dropped to -28° at Hartford, CT and -18° near Philadelphia, PA. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)
 

1870: Congressman Halbert Paine, who represented Wisconsin's Second District, introduced a joint resolution in the House of Representatives “to authorize the Secretary of War to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations and other points in the interior of the continent, and for giving notice on the Northern Lakes and seaboard of the approach and force of storms.” The House adopted the resolution by unanimous consent and, two days later, it passed the Senate. Five days later, on Feb. 9, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the joint resolution into law, officially creating the nation's first weather service. 

 

1898: The naming of hurricanes after women was always the center of controversy. In the Southern Hemisphere near Australia, tropical cyclones were once called Willy-Willies. An Australian Meteorologist, Clement Wragge, is credited for giving girls names to tropical cyclones by the end of the 19th Century. On this date, Wragge's weather journal showed a Willy Willy named "Eline."


1904: Minimum temperature for Washington, DC for the date is +2 °F. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1916: Seattle, Washington on February 1st & 2nd: Seattle is buried under 21.5 inches of snow, its greatest 24-hour snowfall on the first. A total of 32.5 inches of wet snow accumulates over three days. Seattle cathedral dome collapses under weight. (Ref. WxDoctor)

1944: Maximum temperature for Washington, DC for the date is 72 °F. (Ref. Washington Weather Records - KDCA)

1947
The lowest temperature recorded on the North American Continent occurred at Snag, Yukon Territory with a reading -81°. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History) (Ref. Very Complete Write up on This Event)

1951: A strong arctic cold front moved through the upper Plains and Midwest. Temperatures at Alma, WI fell from a high temperature of 41 to -12° by the end of the day. This 53 degree difference between the high and low temperature tied 3/22/1951 for Alma's greatest diurnal temperature change. The brutal morning low of -35° at Greensburg, IN was Indiana’s coldest reading until 1994. South Bend, IN reported a daily record low of -17°. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1952 - The only tropical storm of record to hit the U.S. in February moved out of the Gulf of Mexico and across southern Florida. It produced 60 mph winds, and two to four inches of rain. (2nd-3rd) (The Weather Channel)

 

1952: An area of low pressure moved out of the Gulf of Mexico and across southern Florida during the evening and late-night hours on February 2, 1952. It produced 60 mph winds and two to four inches of rain on February 2 and 3. The low pressure remains the only tropical storm to impact the United States in February. 

1956 - A record snowstorm in New Mexico and west Texas began on Ground Hog's Day. The storm produced 15 inches of snow at Roswell NM, and up to 33 inches in the Texas Panhandle. (David Ludlum)

1960: Heavy icing from freezing rain accumulations through the 3rd occurred mainly across the eastern half of New York. Severe damage to power lines and telephone service occurred in the Watertown and Wessington Springs area. Ice coatings of up to 3 inches thick and having an estimated weight of 9 pounds per foot of wire formed around telephone and some power lines over a wide area of the eastern counties. A 300 foot tower high collapsed at Wessington Springs and in some areas utility wires were completely down for stretches of 2 to 3 miles. Some 170 long distance telephone circuits were knocked out in larger cities and 19 towns from Bonesteel south to Watertown on north were completely without telephone service for two to three days after the storm. Many highways were treacherous and numerous vehicles collided or slid off the road into the ditch. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1961: Extreme cold hits Frederick, MD -11°, Unionville, MD -16°, Emmitsburg, PA -12° (Bob Ryan's 2002 Almanac)

1976: A quick moving but extremely intense coastal storm struck New England. Wind gusts exceeded 115 mph at Bear Island and Southwest Harbor, ME. Chatham, MA recorded a wind gust to 98 mph. Caribou, ME set a new all-time record low pressure of 957 millibars or 28.26 inches of mercury and Boston, MA recorded their second lowest pressure ever at 965 millibars or 28.48 inches mercury up to this time. Tides 3 to 5 feet above normal caused extensive coastal flooding. Parts of Bangor, ME were under 12 feet of water as a storm surge funneled up the Penobscot River to the mouth of the Kenduskeag Stream which in turn inundated Bangor in a matter of 15 minutes. A 40 to 50 degree temperature drop followed a sharp cold front with blizzard conditions occurring over interior sections of New England for a few hours. 13 inches of snow fell at Danforth, ME. Saint John, New Brunswick Canada and the area around the Bay of Fundy reported wind gusts to 118 mph and wave heights up to 39 feet with swells to 32.5 feet. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985: Up to 9 inches of sleet, freezing rain and snow paralyzed North Alabama. It was the worst winter storm since 1963 across Northwest Alabama. Travel was impossible north of Birmingham. Four people died.(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)
 

1987 - A fast moving arctic front brought snow and high winds to the north central U.S. Winds gusted to 69 mph at Brookings SD. Big Falls MN reported nine inches of snow. Record warmth was reported just ahead of the front. Burlington IA reported a record high of 59 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - A dying low pressure system over southern California deluged the San Diego coastal mountains with more than four inches of rain causing half a million dollars damage. Arctic air invading the north central U.S. sent the mercury plunging to 38 degrees below zero at Park Rapids MN. Raleigh NC reported a record high of 75 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Bitter cold air covered much of the central U.S. Butte MT reported a wind chill reading of 91 degrees below zero, Salt Lake City UT was blanketed with 11.9 inches of snow in 24 hours, and winds around Reno NV gusted to 80 mph. Unseasonably warm weather continued in the southeastern U.S. Twenty-eight cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Wilmington NC with a reading of 80 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - Thunderstorms developing ahead of a cold front produced severe weather in the Lower Mississippi Valley during the late afternoon and evening hours. One person was injured in a tornado near Reidheimer LA. Thunderstorms northeast of Brandon MS produced hail three inches in diameter along with high winds which downed or snapped off one hundred trees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1996 - An Arctic outbreak that lasted from late January through early February produced nearly 400 hundred record lows, 15 all-time low readings, and over 50 new record lows. Four states recorded their all-time record low temperatures, including Tower, Minnesota, on this date with a reading of 60 degrees below zero, canceling Tower's annual Icebox Days festival because it is too cold. Locations that reported their all-time record low or tied included: Cresco, IA: -36°, Osage, IA: -34°, Charles City, IA tied their record low with -32° and Lancaster, WI tied their all-time record low with -31°. International Falls, MN, and Glasgow, MT set records for February with -45° and -38°, respectively. The temperature at Embarrass, MN, plummeted to -53°. Rochester, MN, dipped to -34° for its coldest temperature in 45 years. Green Bay, WI only reached -16° for the high temperature for the day, their coldest

 

2006 - New Orleans is struck by two tornadoes, collapsing at least one previously damaged house and battering Louis Armstrong International Airport. The Weather Doctor

2008 - Hilo, HI, is deluged by 10.82 inches of rain in a period of 24 hours, breaking the previous record set in 1969 by 3.5 inches. The Weather Doctor

2011 - A high temperature of 44°F registered at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, AZ, sets an all-time February record for the coldest high temperature for the city. The Weather Doctor

[TriPol]

What's the over/under that Central Park goes below 0 this weekend?

[NEG NAO]

5 minutes ago, TriPol said:

What's the over/under that Central Park goes below 0 this weekend?

some forecasters were mentioning it would fall below 0 in this current extended arctic outbreak - this next one over the weekend will last only a couple days so odds of Central Park going below zero as of today are not favorable IMO -suburban locations have a better chance - plus where is the thermometer they use located and how much snow cover is left there ?

[nycsnow]

Pretty eh model runs over night to be honest. No real snow and 2 rain storms lol

[[email protected]]

37 minutes ago, TriPol said:

What's the over/under that Central Park goes below 0 this weekend?

I guarantee you that the Park doesn't go below 7-8 degrees this weekend!

[doncat]

16° mean temp here prior 9 days.

[Freezing Drizzle]

10 hours ago, psv88 said:

That’s not how it works…10 days of January was warm. The second half we froze. Nothing was skewed. 

Right. The January temperature figures are an example of a flaw that can occur with the use of (only) the mean average.
In this case, one data set are high (temperatures) and the other are low (temperatures), the mean makes it appear like the month was in the middle.

[Freezing Drizzle]

5 hours ago, Dark Star said:

Sigh, that's what happens during colder than normal winters.  Cold and dry, then before a reset of cold weather, a brief warm up and rain.

Like the warm rainstorm 11 days after the January 7-8, 1996 snowstorm.

[CPcantmeasuresnow]

1 hour ago, Wannabehippie said:

We may get above freezing this whole week, until that Arctic front brings in more bitter cold for the weekend. 

Maybe in urban and shore areas I doubt for the whole forum. 

[Stormlover74]

1 minute ago, Freezing Drizzle said:

Like the warm rainstorm 11 days after the January 7-8, 1996 snowstorm.

Jan 94 had a wild swing from -2 to 55 and pouring rain the next day 

[Freezing Drizzle]

3 hours ago, bluewave said:

Unfortunately, 2-5-10 was one of our worst cases of suppression as the record snows went just to our south. 
 

My son was in college in DC for this.  They called it "Snowmaggedon."  Weren't there two back-to-back?

[MANDA]

3 hours ago, bluewave said:

Very impressive Arctic outbreak possible next weekend as a lobe of the polar vortex is forecast to dive into the Northeast.

Places like NYC have a chance to drop lower than this weekend since the winds look to be stronger with more of NW flow and stronger high pressure to the west. Instead of the light winds like we had this weekend which didn’t transport the coldest air into the heat island.

My guess is that we will finally get a thaw beginning a few days later as the entire polar vortex shifts back closer to the Arctic and Asia.

 

 

 

 

Likely the last of the truly frigid blasts this winter.

[nycsnow]

3 minutes ago, MANDA said:

Likely the last of the truly frigid blasts this winter.

Just hoping we can squeeze out one more snow storm. As of now models say we’re shutout til at least mid feb

[Stormlover74]

8 minutes ago, Freezing Drizzle said:

My son was in college in DC for this.  They called it "Snowmaggedon."  Weren't there two back-to-back?

Yeah another one on the 10th that hit us hard up here

[SACRUS]

 

Up to 27 here freezing breach starting to be in site here.

[Cfa]

2 hours ago, [email protected] said:

How come no one on this page ever talks about the 11 year cycle of severe winters like they do about summer 11 year cycles?

February 2015 was followed up with December 2015. I hope that pattern holds.

Up to 29 here, I think the streak is toast.

[SnowGoose69]

1 hour ago, TriPol said:

What's the over/under that Central Park goes below 0 this weekend?

Unlikely with 850s of only -22.  It usually needs to be -27 or lower.  You can do it with much lower 850s but you need winds to be like 360-020 and probably have a snowpack

[jm1220]

Most of us at least near the coast will likely get above freezing today. Weather stations are already in the mid 20s mostly and we have another about 3 hours to warm up. 

[SnowGoose69]

Right now feels like all major ensembles are locked onto the idea 10-13is pretty mild...especially W of the NE/SNE, then 14-17 looks colder.  Then it comes down to what happens with the indices.  If the PNA/EPO/WPO go strong -/+/+ the month is probably cooked and it gets very mild just about everywhere in the CONUS 18-28, but does not mean March is done.  If those indices can at least settle near neutral values we may be in business since I think the AO/NAO are favorable.   Someone else too maybe in the SNE thread mentioned don't forget shortening wavelengths allow crappier 500 setups to produce storms.  I always point out how 2/8/13 and 4/6/82 had very similar 500mb patterns nationwide.  One event pretty much escaped east, the other almost cut over us and was rain.  Its a bit easier to get snow here in lousy setups in March than January, but obviously that factor can be negated by temp issues.

[SACRUS]

Bone dry hope we can ger dustings Wed morning and sat morning