The Northeast Fights February's Fury

 

After back to back record setting months, both in the snow and cold categories, the final month of climatological winter followed suit as the relentless winter continued into February. In addition to numerous ice and snow events, the pattern kept temperatures 10 – 20 degrees below normal for the majority of the month. In typical February fashion, many in the Northeast saw some of their highest snow amounts of the season with everyone from Baltimore to Boston measuring double digit snowfall totals at least once. Let’s review just how busy Mother Nature kept the region during February 2014.

A brief respite of mild temperatures started the month, but winter quickly returned after the Groundhog saw its shadow. February 3rd featured a storm which initially brought a widespread soaking rain. However, colder air filtered in on the back side, changing rain to moderate to heavy snow. The strongest snow bands hit Long Island and central New Jersey with totals topping 7 – 10 inches. Without hesitation, another wintry mix event brought significant ice and snow accumulation on February 5th. Nearly 0.25 – 0.50 inch of ice accretion in the Philadelphia area led to widespread power outages and heavy snow buried New England under double digit amounts. The following days were slightly quieter with only a 1 - 3 inch clipper on the 9th, but temperatures remained frigid through the 12th.

Just before Valentine’s Day through the 19th, the Northeast entered into a particularly active pattern with consecutive snow events. The first was an intense “book end” coastal storm that pounded the Northeast from the 12th – 13th. The first phase of the storm dumped heavy, fluffy snow with a period of incredible snow rates of 2 – 3 inches per hour. While those from Hartford down to Philly woke up to a widespread 7 – 14 inches, those in the Mid Atlantic were hardest hit as 12 – 20 inches blanketed the Baltimore and D.C metro areas by the morning rush hour. 

Although snow tapered during the daytime, freezing rain and sleet continued, coating many surfaces with 0.10 – 0.25 inches of ice. The storm was not over, however, as the back end of the storm invigorated a second round of sleet and snow dropping another 2 – 5 inches over many areas. When all was said and done, some areas in Maryland, the Hudson Valley and parts of northern New Jersey topped 20 inches! In fact, February 2010 was the last time Baltimore had a storm produce double digit totals.

Mother Nature gave no rest for the weary, however, as multiple snow events continued through the 18th. A system that brought 1 – 3 inches south of NYC strengthened substantially over New England, leading to near blizzard conditions on the 15th. Heavy snow bombarded southeastern Massachusetts (especially Cape Cod) producing high snowfall rates and 8 – 15 inches of the white stuff. In addition, 40 – 50 mph wind gusts caused severe drifting, power outages and near white out conditions.

Yet another powerful, but fast moving, coastal storm hit on the 18th. After dropping 2 – 4 inches of snow over the southern half of the Northeast, the storm quickly amplified dumping 5 – 10 inches over Massachusetts and New Hampshire. After a minor wintry mix event on the 19th, the Northeast finally entered into a much needed break. Temperatures from the 20 – 23rd warmed into the 50s and even 60s leading to plenty of snow melt. In addition, a strong cold front on the 21st led to thunderstorms with even a reported tornado in southern Maryland! After the brief warm-up, the final days of the month featured a few more snow events and much colder conditions. Aside from the typical snow showers, two storms impacted the Mid Atlantic on the 25th and 26th, but both were rather short-lived, producing 1 – 3 inches a piece.

Looking back at such an active month, it’s clear why February 2014 ranks among the coldest and snowiest in recent memory. The graphs below depict this month’s snowfall and daily average temperatures compared to normal. The snowfall graph puts the snowfall surplus into perspective as the major cities ran 10 – 20 inches above normal. The temperature graphs show that from February 4th to the 20th, temperatures consistently remained near to below average. Add the sharp dive at the end of February and monthly departures finished 3 to 6 degrees colder than normal. To learn more about temperature and snow statistics from this winter, see this article.