February 2026 OBS & Discussion

[psv88]

47 today. 24 now. Melt it all please 

[MJO812]

7 minutes ago, psv88 said:

47 today. 24 now. Melt it all please 

Next week it will be gone

[WeatherGeek2025]

anyone know today's high at central park?

[rclab]

4 minutes ago, WeatherGeek2025 said:

anyone know today's high at central park?

44.1 …… as always

 

[WeatherGeek2025]

2 minutes ago, rclab said:

44.1 …… as always

 

thank you sir...

 

why does weather app say 46 it's weird

[NorthShoreWx]

44 minutes ago, psv88 said:

47 today. 24 now. Melt it all please 

13 hours below freezing and 11 hours above isn't the fastest melt.

[MJO812]

On 1/31/2026 at 4:40 PM, psv88 said:

I’ll be in Florida 2/15 to 2/25. I’m sure we’ll get crushed then 

Great call 

[bluewave]

 

It was great to see Newark finally have a top 25 snowfall season following 4 higher ranking low seasons during the 2020s.

 

Time Series Summary for NEWARK LIBERTY INTL AP, NJ Snowiest  Seasons
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

1	1996-04-30	78.4	0
2	1868-04-30	75.3	0
3	1961-04-30	73.5	0
4	1873-04-30	71.7	1
5	1907-04-30	70.2	2
6	1854-04-30	69.3	30
7	2011-04-30	68.2	0
8	1978-04-30	64.9	0
9	1994-04-30	64.5	0
10	1899-04-30	63.5	4
-	1867-04-30	63.5	0
11	1852-04-30	63.3	0
12	1948-04-30	61.6	0
13	2014-04-30	61.1	0
14	1920-04-30	60.6	0
15	1958-04-30	58.3	0
16	1856-04-30	57.8	0
17	1923-04-30	57.4	0
18	1967-04-30	57.3	0
19	1875-04-30	56.5	31
20	1916-04-30	56.2	0
21	1905-04-30	55.1	0
22	2026-04-30	54.5	63
23	2003-04-30	53.1	0
24	1893-04-30	52.8	34
25	1857-04-30	52.0	0

 

1	1973-04-30	1.9	0
2	2023-04-30	2.7	0
3	2002-04-30	3.6	0
4	1879-04-30	4.3	90
5	1919-04-30	4.5	0
6	2020-04-30	6.9	0
-	1998-04-30	6.9	0
-	1931-04-30	6.9	123
7	1932-04-30	7.3	0
8	1989-04-30	7.5	0
9	2012-04-30	8.8	0
10	1901-04-30	9.8	2
11	1995-04-30	10.3	0
12	1950-04-30	10.7	0
13	1951-04-30	10.9	0
14	1937-04-30	11.0	0
15	1938-04-30	11.1	0
16	2024-04-30	12.2	0
17	1878-04-30	12.4	0
18	1876-04-30	12.6	30
19	1999-04-30	12.8	0
20	2025-04-30	13.6	0
21	1955-04-30	13.7	0
22	1992-04-30	13.9	0
-	1968-04-30	13.9	0
-	1942-04-30	13.9	0
23	1954-04-30	14.0	0
24	1980-04-30	14.3	0
-	1953-04-30	14.3	0
25	1990-04-30	14.5	0

[CPcantmeasuresnow]

13 minutes ago, bluewave said:

 

It was great to see Newark finally have a top 25 snowfall season following 4 higher ranking low seasons during the 2020s.

 

Time Series Summary for NEWARK LIBERTY INTL AP, NJ Snowiest  Seasons
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

1	1996-04-30	78.4	0
2	1868-04-30	75.3	0
3	1961-04-30	73.5	0
4	1873-04-30	71.7	1
5	1907-04-30	70.2	2
6	1854-04-30	69.3	30
7	2011-04-30	68.2	0
8	1978-04-30	64.9	0
9	1994-04-30	64.5	0
10	1899-04-30	63.5	4
-	1867-04-30	63.5	0
11	1852-04-30	63.3	0
12	1948-04-30	61.6	0
13	2014-04-30	61.1	0
14	1920-04-30	60.6	0
15	1958-04-30	58.3	0
16	1856-04-30	57.8	0
17	1923-04-30	57.4	0
18	1967-04-30	57.3	0
19	1875-04-30	56.5	31
20	1916-04-30	56.2	0
21	1905-04-30	55.1	0
22	2026-04-30	54.5	63
23	2003-04-30	53.1	0
24	1893-04-30	52.8	34
25	1857-04-30	52.0	0

 

1	1973-04-30	1.9	0
2	2023-04-30	2.7	0
3	2002-04-30	3.6	0
4	1879-04-30	4.3	90
5	1919-04-30	4.5	0
6	2020-04-30	6.9	0
-	1998-04-30	6.9	0
-	1931-04-30	6.9	123
7	1932-04-30	7.3	0
8	1989-04-30	7.5	0
9	2012-04-30	8.8	0
10	1901-04-30	9.8	2
11	1995-04-30	10.3	0
12	1950-04-30	10.7	0
13	1951-04-30	10.9	0
14	1937-04-30	11.0	0
15	1938-04-30	11.1	0
16	2024-04-30	12.2	0
17	1878-04-30	12.4	0
18	1876-04-30	12.6	30
19	1999-04-30	12.8	0
20	2025-04-30	13.6	0
21	1955-04-30	13.7	0
22	1992-04-30	13.9	0
-	1968-04-30	13.9	0
-	1942-04-30	13.9	0
23	1954-04-30	14.0	0
24	1980-04-30	14.3	0
-	1953-04-30	14.3	0
25	1990-04-30	14.5	0

Some great stats for Newark, going back to the 1850's? Where do they come from before the airport was established?

[ForestHillWx]

Freezing fog here. Pretty awesome to see settle in on top of the snow pack to just about the top of the tree line. 

[Freezing Drizzle]

Rare freezing fog at my location. Glaze on all surfaces.  31 F with 99% RH.
I get fogs here by the bay, but rarely at or below freezing.
Anyone else getting this?

[Freezing Drizzle]

[Freezing Drizzle]

Recipe for freezing fog with these current temperatures (above) and RHs.

[TheClimateChanger]

 

[donsutherland1]

An elite winter season is concluding today. Among other things, Winter 2025-26 will be the coldest winter since Winter 2014-15. A snapshot for New York City is below.

 

[gravitylover]

I looked out and thought 'oh bummer, I hate dense snow-eating fog'. Then I went out with the dog and realized it was freezing. That changed my mood pretty quickly It popped above a few minutes ago and now the sun is trying to come out. 

[[email protected]]

5 minutes ago, donsutherland1 said:

An elite winter season is concluding today. Among other things, Winter 2025-26 will be the coldest winter since Winter 2014-15. A snapshot for New York City is below.

Is this one of the top five winters over the past half century, Don?

[donsutherland1]

4 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

Is this one of the top five winters over the past half century, Don?

It would depend on what variables one uses to rank the winters. Without doubt, it is one of the great winters of the past 50 years.

[Wannabehippie]

Very foggy and 35 degrees here. I can practically see the snow being eaten away. Supposed to pop up to 52 today.

[Wannabehippie]

Fog beginning to lift now as the sun is burning thru.

 

[donsutherland1]

1 hour ago, TheClimateChanger said:

 

It was a fantastic winter in New York City. I'm not sure why some find the need to make exaggerated claims like the one you cited. Perhaps they know that most in the general public don't have access to the data, are not familiar with the historic record, and/or are not inclined to verify the claims.

If one is using only the December 1-February 28 timeframe both winters 1977-78 and 1993-94 were somewhat colder and snowier than winter 2025-26.

Here's how Winter 2025-2026 actually stacked up against all past winters (December-February periods):

[SACRUS]

37 ./ 36 low clouds / fog burning off and snow continuing to evaporate.  Outside of some mixing or wet snow Sunday and Tuesday afternoon/evening it looks like wetter vs whiter week and near avg - lots of clouds.  Warmer 3/7 - beyond.

 

[SACRUS]

Records:
 

Highs:

EWR: 68 (1976)
NYC: 677 (1976)
LGA: 66 (1976)
JFK: 66 (1976)


Lows:

EWR: 1 (1934)
NYC: 5 (1934)
LGA: 10 (2014)
JFK: 11 (2014)

Historical:


1792: Heavy snow caused the Ashley River Bridge in Charleston, SC to collapse. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1846: William S. Forrest, in "Historical and Descriptive Sketches of Norfolk and Vicinity" in 1853, recorded the Great Gust of 1846. The Great Gust was a severe coastal storm that produced 5 feet waves in Norfolk. 

1900 - A massive storm spread record snows from Kansas to New York State. Snowfall totals rangeD up to 17.5 inches at Springfield IL and 43 inches at Rochester NY, with up to 60 inches in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. (David Ludlum)

1900: A massive storm produced record snow from Kansas to northwest Ohio and southern Michigan from February 27 to March 01. The observation at the University of Kansas in Lawrence reported 15 inches of snow on the 27th was "phenomenal; only one heavier snowfall has been recorded for any month, a depth of 16 inches on February 11th and 12th, 1894." (CD). The Coop near Wamego, KS, in the northeast part of Kansas, a record-breaking 24 inches fell in just 12 hours! Other snowfall amounts in Kansas include 19.0" in Abilene, 18.7" in Topeka, 18.0" in McPherson, and 18.0" in Ellinwood. Topeka saw 17.3" on February 27, the most recorded in 24 hours.  In Missouri, heavy snow fell over a considerable portion of the state on the 27th and 28th. From Bates, Cass, Jackson, and Platte counties in the west, to St. Charles, Lincoln, Pike, Ralls, Marion, Lewis, and Clark counties to the east, snowfall ranged from 10 to over 20 inches. The snow drifted severely in many places, and where the fall of snow exceeded 10 inches, railroads were blocked, and county roads rendered impassable for several days. A Coop in Darksville, in northern Randolph County, reported drifts from 6 to 8 feet deep in many places. Houstonia Pettis County's drifts were the worst for more than 30 years. Snowfall amounts in Missouri include 22" in Miami, 20" in Richmond, 13.9" in Columbia, and 13" in Kansas City and Jefferson City.The storm probably gave central and northern parts of Illinois some of the highest snowfall totals since 1830-1831. (CD) The Coop in Astoria measured an astonishing 37.8 inches with this storm! Coatsburg saw 26 inches.  Other snowfall amounts include 21" near Normal, 17.5" in Springfield, and 13" near Jacksonville.Heavy snow, freezing rain, and sleet occurred in Indiana from February 28 to March 01. In South Bend, 16" of snow fell, prompting street-car employees to work all night to keep the tracks open.  As a result, railroad traffic was delayed on all lines. Fairmount and Greensburg reported ice and sleet covered the ground on the 28th. Marion, in Grant County, observed the heaviest sleet storm in many years. Some snowfall amounts include 21" at Valparaiso Waterworks, 18" in Syracuse, Angola, and Fort Wayne, and 16" in South Bend and Huntington.  Northwestern Ohio and southern Michigan saw heavy snowfall from February 27 to March 01. The Coop in Wauseon Water Plant recorded 20.5" of snow.  Toledo received 20.2 inches. Grape, Michigan, west-northwest of Monroe, said the heavy snow made all roads impassable. Mail could not be delivered from Grape to Monroe due to badly drifted snow. Some snowfall amounts from southern Michigan include 18" in Hillsdale, Grape, and Somerset, 14" in Detroit, 13" in Lancing, and 12" in Kalamazoo.
 

1952 - An intense storm brought coastal sections of southeastern Massachusetts to a halt, stranding 3000 motorists on Lower Cape, and leaving ten thousand homes on the Cape without electricity. Winds gusting to 72 mph created mountainous snowdrifts of the 18 inches of snow which buried Nantucket and Hyannis. A barometric pressure reading of 29.02 inches was reported at the center of the storm. (The Weather Channel)

 

1952: A powerful Nor'easter hit Cape Cod with winds of 70-80 mph and snowfall amounts of 12-20 inches. These conditions created 12 feet drifts.

 

1962: Wilmington, North Carolina, reached a high temperature of 85 degrees. This is the warmest temperature on record during February. 

1987 - A powerful storm produced severe thunderstorms in Louisiana and Mississippi early in the day. About mid morning a monstrous tornado touched down near Moselle MS and grew to a width of two miles as it passed near Laurel MS. The tornado traveled a distance of 40 miles killing six persons, injuring 350 others, and causing 28.5 million dollars damage. The tornado swept homes right off their foundations, and tossed eighteen wheel trucks about like toys. Strong straight line winds associated with the powerful storm system gusted to 70 mph at Jonesboro AR and Carbondale IL. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - Thunderstorms in California produced severe weather during the early morning hours. Strong thunderstorm winds, gusting to 74 mph, downed trees in the Sacramento area. Unseasonably mild weather prevailed in the northwestern U.S. The afternoon high of 71 degrees at Portland OR was a February record. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Thunderstorms in the southeast corner of the nation produced winds gusts to 58 mph at Fort Lauderdale FL, and a total of seven inches of rain. Heavy snow whitened parts of the Northern Plateau and the Northern Rockies, with ten inches reported at Marion MT. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - Showers and thunderstorms over the Southern Plains Region capped a record wet February for parts of Oklahoma. Totals for the month ranged up to 9.11 inches at McCurtain, with 4.63 inches reported at Oklahoma City. Snow and sleet fell across northern Oklahoma, with four inches reported at Freedom and Jefferson. Snow also spread across southern Kansas into Missouri and Arkansas, with six inches of snow reported at Harrison AR. In Alaska, February temperatures at Nome averaged 21 degrees below normal, ranging from -38 degrees to 29 degrees during the month. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

2003: The total snowfall from 1435 of the 27 to 0115 of the 28th was 5.2 inches. Making this the snowiest February in the last 23-years at the Annandale-Barcroft Hills Weather Center with a total of 30.9 inches. The old record was 23.2 in 1982-83 and was our wettest February in the last 23-years with a total of 8.19 inches of precipitation. The old record was 7.26 inches in 1998. It was also our 3rd snowiest winter in the last 23-years and the snowiest since 1995-96 when the total winter snowfall of 61.2 inches was record. (Ref. Annandale Weather Records)

2004: A snowstorm affected much of central and western Virginia...with 6 to 12 inches of snow reported in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia. The heaviest amounts, in the 10 to 12 inch range, fell in Roanoke city/county, and in Franklin county.Ref. Virginia Department of Emergency Management E-News

2005:  A late season snowstorm brought 7.7 inches of snow to NYCs central park and 9.5 inches to Newark airport.

2010: Late February Nor' Easter- Back-to-back Nor' Easters on February 23-28 dumped 20 inches or more of snow from New York City into New England, with over 40 inches at some locations. This was the third major Northeast snow storm of the year, and the fourth this winter. Snowfall in New York City's Central Park reached 20.9 inches, and the city's February total of 36.9 inches set an all-time monthly record. Snowfall totals exceeded 30 inches north of New York City with this storm, including 38 inches near Monticello, New York. Hunter Mountain in the Catskills unofficially accumulated four feet of snow from February 25-28. Outstanding snow totals during February 23-27 included 43 inches in Randolph, New Hampshire; 52 inches in Woodford, Vermont; and 53 inches in Potter Hollow, New York. (Ref. Weatherwise U.S. Weather Highlights of 2010 page 3 and 4)

2012 - The first confirmed February tornado in Nebraska state history struck Lincoln and Logan Counties shortly after 4PM. The EF-0 tornado was on the ground intermittently for up to six minutes and traveled 3 miles before dissipating in southwest Logan County. The path of the tornado was over open rangeland and cropland where limited damage occurred. Patches of snow were still on the ground at the time. (NWS North Platte)

[MANDA]

February Precipitation stats at my location:

Melted: 1.96".  

Y.T.D. Melted: 4.72".

February snowfall: 15".

Snowfall Season to date: 49.8".

AVERAGE snow depth this morning with 90-95% coverage: 3.5".  South facing lawns and slopes bare ground to 1.5".  Shaded / north facing locations: 4-5".

Was driving around southern Union and Morris Counties yesterday (Chatham, Summit and New Providence) and snow melt pretty dramatic there.  They had 15-20" in spots and there is quite a bit of bare ground.  Eyeballing looked like 3-4" in areas with most remaining depth.  By this coming Monday, 1 week after the storm 15-20" of snow will have been wiped out.

[NorthShoreWx]

34 minutes ago, donsutherland1 said:

It was a fantastic winter in New York City. I'm not sure why some find the need to make exaggerated claims like the one you cited. Perhaps they know that most in the general public don't have access to the data, are not familiar with the historic record, and/or are not inclined to verify the claims...

It's human nature.  Every little hill on LI has appeared in some story, newspaper article, or ad as being the high point on LI over the years.  Superlatives sell and they seem to be easier for people to talk about.

[the_other_guy]

Still FULL snow cover…by a lot. 41F

Havent seen grass since the first storm

[NorthShoreWx]

50 minutes ago, donsutherland1 said:

It was a fantastic winter in New York City. I'm not sure why some find the need to make exaggerated claims like the one you cited. Perhaps they know that most in the general public don't have access to the data, are not familiar with the historic record, and/or are not inclined to verify the claims.

If one is using only the December 1-February 28 timeframe both winters 1977-78 and 1993-94 were somewhat colder and snowier than winter 2025-26.

Here's how Winter 2025-2026 actually stacked up against all past winters (December-February periods):

I imagine this winter might be further down the list if it ranked the two best consecutive months, rather than all three.  This is ranking very high for end to end cold and snow, but I have the perception that there have been many "deeper" winters in modern times.  I guess one example is 2014-2015 when the warm December of 2014 kept a great winter from making that list (although it did have a noteworthy March).  Since 3 months is a long time to keep a consistent weather pattern in NYC, I suspect there would be a different distribution of slightly shorter, but more intense winter rankings.

However, mulling over your data in this mindset, I have gained some respect for the historical context of the concluding meteorological winter, especially in a warming environment.

[SACRUS]

Feb 

 

EWR: 3.31 LE / 

EWR: 29.3 (snow)
 

[MANDA]

29 minutes ago, SACRUS said:

Feb 

 

EWR: 3.31 LE / 

EWR: 29.3 (snow)
 

EWR snowfall nearly double mine