Winter In The USA 2013-2014

[Mark]

A powerful nor’easter accompanied by dangerously cold temperatures left behind more than two feet of snow.

The storm dumped 10.6 inches of snow in Boston on Thursday, setting a new record for the day set in 1904 when the city received 8 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Boxford reported 24.3 inches, and Topsfield 23.5 inches.

Governor Patrick urged homeowners to safely remove snow from rooftops before Sunday to avoid the added weight that would come from rain mixing in with a foot or more of snow.

Boston is expected to reach zero degrees tonight, just four degrees shy of the city’s record low for the date, set on Jan. 4, 1981.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/01/03/storm-continues-threaten-state-w ith-record-snowfall-bitterly-cold-temperatures-and-potential-coastal-flooding/Hj8XAkAsU1kK MASNsqe54L/story.html

[Mark]

On the verge of the snowiest single day in history in Indiana.

DEADLY WIND CHILLS BETWEEN 30  BELOW AND 45 BELOW ZERO.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA… JAN 5 2014
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/

[Mark]

Winter wheat threatened by the cold.

A whirlpool of frigid, dense air that pummeled much of the U.S. on Monday could break decades-old records from Montana to Alabama.

For a big chunk of the Midwest, the subzero temperatures were moving in behind another winter wallop: more than a foot of snow and high winds that made traveling treacherous.

The forecast is extreme: 32 below zero (-35 C) in Fargo; minus 21 (-29 C) in Madison; and 15 below zero (-26 C) in Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Chicago. Wind chills could drop into the minus 50s and 60s.

“It’s just a dangerous cold,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Butch Dye in Missouri.

It hasn’t been this cold for almost two decades in many parts of the country.

“I never remember it ever being this cold,” said Jeffery Davis, 51, in Chicago. “I’m flabbergasted.”

http://www.agweb.com/article/record-breaking_cold_pummels_the_midwest_NAA_Associated_Press/?smartid

[Mark]

Temperature records were shattered in many states, including Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

Some parts of the Midwest hit -26C (-14F), much colder than the inside of a domestic freezer.

Across the border in Canada, temperatures in parts of Ontario fell to -30C (-22F), causing flights in and out of Pearson International Airport to be halted for several hours on Tuesday morning.

Roads in the cities of Toronto and Ottawa were coated in dangerous black ice.

Freezing temperatures even extended into the usually mild southern United States.

In northern Florida temperatures briefly dropped below freezing.

Atlanta, Georgia, was 25 degrees below average for this time of year.

To make matters worse, people in the Midwest are still digging out from two massive snow storms which recently dumped more than 2ft (61cm) of snow.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25647963

[Mark]

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
 800 PM PDT FRI JAN 17 2014

 ...GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN DECLARES A DROUGHT STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR
 CALIFORNIA ON JANUARY 17TH 2014...

 ...THE USDA HAS DECLARED A DROUGHT DESIGNATION FOR SAN BERNARDINO
 COUNTY FOR 2014 FOR ELIGIBLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS...

 ...EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS DEVELOPING OVER PORTIONS OF
 SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA...

 SYNOPSIS...

 PORTIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA HAVE EXPERIENCED TWO BELOW
 AVERAGE RAINFALL SEASONS RESULTING IN A REDUCTION IN RESERVOIR AND
 GROUNDWATER LEVELS IN SOME AREAS. THE MUCH DRIER THAN USUAL 
 VEGETATION FOR MID-WINTER HAS CONTRIBUTED TO A HEIGHTENED WILDFIRE
 CONCERN. THESE CONDITIONS WERE ELEVATED TO AN EXTREME DROUGHT
 DEPICTION (D3) ON THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR MAPS WITHIN ORANGE COUNTY
 IN MID JANUARY 2014. THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFIES DROUGHT
 INTO FIVE CATEGORIES OF INCREASING SEVERITY: ABNORMALLY DRY
 (D0)...MODERATE DROUGHT (D1)...SEVERE DROUGHT (D2)...EXTREME DROUGHT
 (D3)...AND EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT (D4).

 PLEASE NOTE THAT NEITHER NOAA NOR THE NWS DECLARES DROUGHTS.
 DROUGHTS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ARE DECLARED BY THE GOVERNOR
 THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE DEPARTMENT OF
 WATER RESOURCES AND THE STATE CLIMATOLOGIST. HOWEVER...LOCAL
 OFFICIALS CAN DECLARE LOCAL DROUGHT OR WATER EMERGENCIES AT TIMES
 WHEN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA HAS NOT DECLARED AN OFFICIAL DROUGHT.
 LOCAL WATER PURVEYORS CAN ALSO IMPLEMENT VOLUNTARY OR MANDATORY
 RESTRICTIONS ON WATER USAGE IN RESPONSE TO CURRENT OR FORECAST WATER
 SUPPLY CONDITIONS REGARDLESS OF DROUGHT DECLARATIONS. THIS DROUGHT
 STATEMENT PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF PERTINENT INFORMATION TO ENHANCE
 PUBLIC AWARENESS OF DROUGHT OR ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS. 

 SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...

 AT THIS TIME...IMPACTS HAVE BEEN LIMITED IN EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN
 PORTIONS OF THE STATE DUE TO THE AVAILABILITY OF IMPORTED WATER.
 HOWEVER...THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION HAS ALLOWED VEGETATION TO DRY TO
 CRITICAL LEVELS IN MANY AREAS...INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR
 WILDFIRES. THE WARM AND DRY WEATHER HAS ALSO REDUCED THE
 AVAILABILITY OF RANGE LAND GRASSES FOR LIVESTOCK. WHERE LOCAL WELLS
 ARE FED BY RAINFALL AND LOCAL RUNOFF...SOME SHALLOW WELLS MAY BE
 GOING DRY OR HAVE ALREADY DRIED UP. IN ADDITION...THE LACK OF
 RAINFALL AND RUNOFF THIS WINTER HAS LOWERED THE FLOW IN THE SAN
 DIEGO RIVER...RESULTING IN STRESSES ON THE VEGETATION AND
 WILDLIFE.     

 CLIMATE SUMMARY...

 ORANGE COUNTY HAS BEEN ONE OF THE DRIEST AREAS IN OUR REGION OVER
 THE PAST FEW YEARS. WESTERN REGION CLIMATE CENTER RECORDS FROM THE
 SANTA ANA FIRE STATION INDICATE 2013 WAS THE THIRD DRIEST...AND THE
 THREE YEAR PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 2013 WAS THE FIFTH DRIEST. RAINS
 HAVE BEEN MORE GENEROUS FARTHER SOUTH IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY WHERE
 LINDBERGH FIELD LOGS BOTH 2013 AND THE THREE YEAR PERIOD 2010-2013
 AS ONLY THE 20TH DRIEST ON RECORD.

 A WELL-DEVELOPED MONSOON IN LATE SUMMER HELPED TO RAISE SEASONAL
 RAINFALL IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS.

 PRECIPITATION SUMMARY FOR SELECTED CITIES...

                       DECEMBER 2013           SINCE JULY 1 2013

                 REPORTED   % OF NORMAL      REPORTED    % OF NORMAL

 NEWPORT BEACH    0.31        17%              0.69         20%
 TUSTIN           0.98        41%              1.91         41%

 IDYLLWILD        1.47        40%              7.77         80%
 RIVERSIDE        0.16        10%              1.15         36%
 PALM SPRINGS     TRACE        0%              1.26         45%

 BIG BEAR LAKE    1.02        33%              5.50         70%
 REDLANDS         0.16        10%              2.54         61%
 EL MIRAGE        0.03         4%              2.14        101%

 BORREGO SPRINGS  0.00         0%              4.35        168%
 CAMPO            0.78        34%              5.57        100%
 LAKE CUYAMACA    1.71        35%             11.88         99%
 LINDBERGH FIELD  0.46        30%              2.24         68%

 PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...

 LITTLE IF ANY PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST FOR THE REMAINDER OF JANUARY
 WITH THE LATEST AVAILABLE GLOBAL MODELS HOLDING A STRONG RIDGE OF
 HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WEST COAST.

 THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER OUTLOOK FOR FEBRUARY IS INDICATING A 
 BETTER THAN 70% CHANCE OF CONTINUED DRIER AND WARMER THAN AVERAGE
 WEATHER.

 HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
 WITH NO WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE...NO
 SIGNIFICANT INCREASES CAN BE EXPECTED IN AREA RIVERS AND RESERVOIRS.

 THE LATEST U.S. SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK CALLS FOR DROUGHT
 CONDITIONS TO PERSIST OR INTENSIFY THROUGH MARCH 2014.

 NEXT SCHEDULED ISSUANCE DATE...
 THE NEXT SCHEDULED DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY
 FEBRUARY 17TH...OR SOONER IF NECESSARY...IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT
 CHANGES IN CONDITIONS.

 &&

 RELATED WEBSITES...
 GOVERNORS EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION: WWW.GOV.CA.GOV/NEWS.PHP?ID18368.
 CALIFORNIA DATA EXCHANGE CENTER: CDEC.WATER.CA.GOV/
 CALIFORNIA NEVADA RIVER FORECAST CENTER: CNRFC - California Nevada River Forecast Center
 DROUGHT MONITOR: DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU
 U.S. DROUGHT PORTAL: http://HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.GOV/DROUGHT/
 CALIFORNIA DROUGHT PAGE: WATERSUPPLYCONDITIONS.WATER.CA.GOV/
 CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER: Climate Prediction Center
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO: National Weather Service - NWS San Diego

 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...
 CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER
 DROUGHT MONITOR
 NATIONAL INTEGRATED DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD
 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES
 CALIFORNIA STATE CLIMATOLOGIST
 US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SOUTHERN DISTRICT

 QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS...PLEASE REFER ALL QUESTIONS TO
 W-SGX.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV.

[Mark]

America is set for the coldest month of the century as forecasters predict yet another freezing blast of Arctic air – putting Super Bowl Sunday – to be held in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on February 2 - in jeopardy.

Teams have been warned to stay on high alert for changes to the schedule – meaning that the game could be postponed.

‘We are advising teams to prepare in case a contingency plan goes into effect,’ said Eric Grubman, NFL vice president of business operations, told the Denver Post.

The game could be moved to the preceding Friday or Saturday or the following Monday if authorities decide the weather will constitute a danger to public health.

If Super Bowl Sunday is moved to, say, Super Bowl Monday, the first people to find out will be Broncos coach John Fox and Seattle coach Pete Carroll.

Temperatures have already hit record lows, and are expected to plunge in the coming days.

Matt Rogers, president of Commodity Weather Group LLC, said: ‘The crazy thing is that the current cold snap this week look to be a bit more modest in the face of next week’s outbreak.

‘The cold coming for the end of January is sufficient to make this the coldest month of the century so far and the coldest the Lower 48 has felt in the last 20 years.’

U.S braces itself for coldest month of the century | Mail Online

[Mark]

Beginning Thursday, more than a foot of snow is likely in the Bitterroots, Wasatch, Colorado High Country, and the Sierra of California.

Lighter snowfall totals are expected in the Cascades and Siskiyous.

The snow will spread into the Plains and Great Lakes starting early Thursday and continue through Friday.

On Saturday, another wave of light to moderate snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected to spread from the central Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, Great Lakes, western, central and Upstate New York, and parts of New England.

This second wave will produce challenging winter driving conditions from Kansas and Missouri to Upstate New York and northern New England.

Total snowfall accumulations could top six inches in a broad swath from Nebraska and Kansas to Upstate New York by Saturday night.

Winter Storm Maximus to Bring Snow, Ice to Over a Dozen States, Including Drought-Plagued California - weather.com Winter Storm Maximus to Slam West

[Mark]

New Winter Storm to Impact the Central U.S. – both the Plains and the Midwest – on Tuesday, the Northeast on Wednesday.

Heaviest snow is forecast from central Kansas through central Missouri and Illinois, into central Indiana. This same system could bring a foot of snow to northern Pennsylvania into central New England on Wednesday.
NOAA's National Weather Service

[itaranak18]

To cold for me. We are pretty well off weather wise in NZ.

[Mark]

Fresh on the heels of record snowfall in New York and across the region, a second winter storm was dishing up more misery from the Rockies to Maine.

A record 8 inches of snow blanketed New York’s Central Park on Monday, with up to 9 more inches forecast through Wednesday.

The situation is so bad in New Jersey that Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency.

Tuesday’s storm swirled out of the southern Rockies overnight, cutting a 400-mile-wide swath from Nebraska to Texas. Snowfall amounts could reach 6-10 inches in places like St. Louis, Springfield, Illinois; Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, and could hit a foot deep in the Kansas City area.

“The month of January was the third-snowiest for Chicago,” said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen, adding the area was deluged with 33.7 inches of snow. “If you go back the last 50 days, it’s literally snowed every other day in Chicago.”


 ”The Northeast faces a triple threat this week,” said Hennen. ” Expect … perhaps a bigger storm over the weekend into early next week.”

Second Snowstorm of the Week Slams Nation's Midsection, Northeast – New Day - CNN.com Blogs on-northeast/

[Mark]

4406 Record Cold Temps

1259 Record Warm temps

1073 Snowfall records

http://wx.hamweather.com/maps/climate/records/4week/us.html?cat=maxtemp,mintemp,snow,lowma x,highmin,

[Mark]

From Montana to New England, more than 120 million people are – yet again – bundling up against cold, ice, snow or all three, according to CNN meteorologists.

The snow and ice will run from Missouri to Illinois to Maine. Up to 2 inches of snow per hour may fall around Boston, with as much as a foot (30 cm) of snow forecast for parts of Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, cold will envelope the nation’s midsection from Montana to Wisconsin all the way south to northern Texas.

We’re talking incredible cold – as much as 40 degrees below average in some places, according to the National Weather Service.

In Helena, Montana, for instance, Wednesday’s high is forecast to be 3 degrees Fahrenheit below zero (-19.4 C). That compares with the average high of 36F (2.2C).

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared an emergency for the entire state and shut down Interstate 84.
No relief: More snow, cold for Midwest, Northeast - CNN.com

[Mark]

Total Great Lakes ice cover is “soaring,” says meteorologist Mark Torregrossa. “It is going to be close, but we may be living in a historic winter with regards to amount of Great Lakes ice.”

Lake Superior is now 92 percent frozen, toppling a 20-year-old record of 91 percent set on Feb. 5, 1994. That statistic helped total Great Lakes ice cover soar, and we can expect to see more form in coming days.

The air temperatures this past week averaged around five degrees below normal for the Great Lakes area.

As of February 5, 2014, the entire Great Lakes system is now reportedly covered 77 percent with ice, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory.

Let’s look at each individual lake.

Lake Superior - Almost frozen over (92 percent covered with ice).

Lake Michigan - Now 51 percent covered with ice. Coyotes were seen walking on the ice just offshore of Chicago this week. This makes us wonder if the lakes freeze over totally, will animals from Canada be able to cross over Lake Huron or Lake Superior, and enter Michigan.

Lake Huron - Ice cover rocketed up an additional 14 percent this week, climbing to a total ice cover of 86 percent. At that rate, Lake Huron could be almost frozen over, or frozen over by the end of next week.

Lake Erie - The shallowest of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie has an average depth of 62 feet and a maximum depth of 210 feet. It also has the least volume of any Great Lake, with 116 cubic miles of water. So it should come as no surprise that Lake Erie is 96 percent covered with ice.

Lake Ontario - Although Lake Ontario is the smallest Great Lake when it comes to surface area, its  average depth of 283 feet makes it the second deepest Great Lake behind Lake Superior. Lake Ontario actually holds more than three times the amount of water when compared to Lake Erie. Lake Ontario is only 32 percent covered in ice.

Will ice continue to grow?

The ice cover should continue to grow at a rapid rate based on temperatures expected in the next few weeks.

It is going to be close, but we may be living in a historic winter with regards to amount of Great Lakes ice.

See entire article, along with photos of individual lakes
- Michigan weather news, weather forecast, satellite & radar - MLive.com

[Mark]

“Expect significant – crippling – ice totals from Atlanta eastward along the I-20 corridor,” the National Weather Service said in alert this morning.

Two weeks after snow and freezing temperatures crippled Atlanta and other parts of the South, forecasters say another major winter storm is headed for the region bringing a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain.

The storm could be a “catastrophic event” reaching “historical proportions,” the National Weather Service warned this morning. “Do not wait to begin making plans for this significant winter event!!”

Forecasters expect widespread power outages that could last for days. As much as three-quarters of an inch of ice is forecast for Atlanta, and wind gusts up to 25 mph could exacerbate problems.

The National Weather Service said that the storm could be one of “historical proportions” with “crippling ice totals.”

A winter storm warning was issued for Georgia on Tuesday morning lasting until Thursday afternoon. Two to four inches of snow are possible through Wednesday night, the Weather Service said. As much as 7 inches of snow is forecast for parts of northern Georgia.

“Snow will accumulate on roads making for hazardous driving conditions today across the northern sections and tonight for all areas,” the Weather Service said. “As the more significant snowfall and ice accumulation occurs Wednesday and Wednesday night, travel will be dangerous given the high snow amounts combined with the ice. Widespread power outages are possible with the higher ice accumulation.”

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for much of middle Georgia on Tuesday and told residents to stay home.

“What we had two weeks ago was a minor event,” said Glenn Burns, chief meteorologist for CNN affiliate WSB. “This is likely to be a major event.”

The storm was expected to hit other parts of the South as well. Alabama and parts of Mississippi were forecast to get as much as 3 inches of snow and ice, and a blast of snow over a wide section of Kentucky slickened roads and closed several school districts.

South Carolina, which hasn’t seen a major ice storm in nearly a decade, could get a quarter to three-quarters of an inch of ice and as much as 8 inches of snow in some areas.

NWS website using the words “catastrophic” and “historical”:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/fxc/ffc/graphicast/image_full6.gif

[Mark]

With today’s snowfall, it is now the snowiest January-February period on record at Central Park.

The 48.5″ (so far) this year beats 47.2″ in 1996.”
https://www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.NewYorkNY.gov

[Mark]

With no end in sight, the winter of 2014 rages on, ushering in frigid Arctic air and dumping record-breaking snow and ice on much of the nation,” says Kristen Rodman, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer. “This season, ice coverage on Lake Superior has exceeded other measurements in recent history.”

“By the long shot this is the most ice we’ve had on Lake Superior in 20 years,” said Jay Austin, Associate Professor at the Large Lakes Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota.

During a typical winter, 30 to 40 percent of the Great Lakes are covered by ice, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. But this winter, 80 to 90 percent are covered in ice.

That ice coverage, specifically on Lake Superior, is raising concerns.

“With all of this ice, all the sunlight that hits the surface of the lake is going to get bounced back out into space, so it’s going to take longer to get warmer this spring and summer,” Austin said. “The lake is going to just start warming this year when it will start cooling off for next year.”

This could bring a relatively cool year for the communities surrounding the lake.

The process of the sunlight bouncing back into space is known as the albedo effect, derived from the Latin word albedo “whiteness” (or reflected sunlight).
Potential Record Ice on Lake Superior May Mean a Cool Spring - AccuWeather.com

[Mark]

The polar jet stream will plunge southward, tapping bitter cold air directly from the Arctic Ocean into the nation’s northern tier through the upcoming week. By midweek, much of the South will join in on the shivering, as well.

Today (Sunday), temperatures will run 10 to 30 degrees colder than average from Montana to the northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley and northern Great Lakes. The highs could remain below zero (Fahrenheit) in parts of the Midwest.

Read that again. The highs could remain below zero (below minus 17.7 C).

Below-average temperatures will then spill into the Northeast on Monday before making a more dramatic southward plunge Tuesday through Thursday.

By Wednesday, much of the Midwest, South and Northeast will also see temperatures 10 to 30 degrees colder than normal.

Below-freezing temperatures may reach the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Alabama by Thursday morning.

As we enter the first week of March, the latest long-range outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center shows that below-average temperatures may continue across much of the country east of the Rockies.

Winter Won't Give Up: Bitterly Cold Finish to February - weather.com Extended Cold Snap Brings Subzero Temps

[JennyLeez]

Predictions have been stepped up to '25 to 35 degrees below average east of the Rocky Mountains' and
'Central U.S. to the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys could be having some frosty high temperatures, as low 20 to 30 degrees below normal.'

So what is causing it, the Polar Vortex north of Canada.
'When it weakens, this allows the cold Arctic air that is often mislabeled the "Polar Vortex" to spill southward across the U.S. border and bring bone-chilling temperatures.'

[JennyLeez]

Motorists urged to smarten up before taking on bad weather in the following week across the top of the USA.
Snowbound roads = Cold night stuck in car.
Below:
Vehicles are piled up in a wreck Friday, February 14, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Traffic accidents involving multiple tractor-trailers and dozens of cars completely blocked one side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike outside Philadelphia.

Such standstills frustrate officials who warn the public of deadly weather and yet they still take to the road.

[Mark]

Also 3rd snowiest winter on record in Chicago. And the snow and cold keep coming!

Records began in 1872.
Seasonal Climate Summary: Chicago | Rockford

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL…  MAR 1 2014

A LOOK BACK AT THE CLIMATE FOR METEOROLOGICAL WINTER 2013-2014 FOR CHICAGO AND ROCKFORD…

AT CHICAGO…THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE WINTER SEASON WAS 27.1 DEGREES WHICH IS 6.5 DEGREES BELOW THE 1981 TO 2010 AVERAGE. THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 10.4 DEGREES WHICH IS 8.1 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR THE SEASON WAS 18.8 DEGREES WHICH IS 7.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

THIS WAS THE 3RD COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD IN CHICAGO. THE COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD…1903-04…AVERAGED 18.3 DEGREES AND THE SECOND COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD…1978-79…AVERAGED 18.4 DEGREES.

A TOTAL OF 7.24 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED DURING THIS PAST WINTER…WHICH IS 1.47 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 67.4 INCHES OF SNOW RECORDED AT OHARE WHICH IS 39.3 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL…AND

THE THIRD SNOWIEST WINTER ON RECORD IN CHICAGO.

80.6 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN 1978-79…THE SNOWIEST WINTER ON RECORD…AND 71.2 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN 1977-78…THE SECOND SNOWIEST WINTER ON RECORD.

NEW DAILY RECORDS ESTABLISHED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS:

* 8.7 INCHES OF SNOW ON JANUARY 5TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 6.2 INCHES IN 2005.

* LOWEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -16 DEGREES ON JANUARY 6TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS -14 DEGREES IN 1988.

* LOWEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -2 DEGREES ON JANUARY 6TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS -1 DEGREE IN 1912.

* 1.16 INCHES OF RAINFALL ON FEBRUARY 20TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 0.95 OF AN INCH IN 2011.

AT ROCKFORD…THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 24.1 DEGREES WHICH IS 8.1 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 5.1 DEGREES WHICH IS 0.5 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR THE SEASON WAS 14.6 DEGREES WHICH IS 9.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

THIS WAS THE THIRD COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD IN ROCKFORD. THE COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD…1978-79…AVERAGED 14.1 DEGREES AND THE SECOND COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD…1977-78…AVERAGED 14.5 DEGREES.

A TOTAL OF 5.43 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED DURING THIS PAST WINTER…WHICH WAS 0.67 OF AN INCH ABOVE NORMAL. IN ADDITION…A TOTAL OF 46.5 INCHES OF SNOW WAS RECORDED WHICH IS 17.3 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.

THIS WAS THE NINTH SNOWIEST WINTER ON RECORD IN ROCKFORD. THE SNOWIEST WINTER WAS 2007-08 WITH 65.1 INCHES OF SNOW RECORDED.

NEW DAILY RECORDS ESTABLISHED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS:

* 0.56 OF AN INCH OF RAINFALL ON DECEMBER 22ND. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 0.53 OF AN INCH IN 1979.

* 5 INCHES OF SNOW ON DECEMBER 22ND. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 3.4 INCHES IN 2009.

* LOWEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -18 DEGREES ON JANUARY 4TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS -16 DEGREES IN 1979.

* LOWEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -21 DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 11TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS -12 DEGREES IN 1981. THIS TIED FOR THE 27TH COLDEST TEMPERATURE EVER OBSERVED IN ROCKFORD SINCE 1906 AND IT WAS THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE IN ROCKFORD SINCE -25 DEGREES ON JANUARY 16 2009.

* LOWEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 15 DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 27TH. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 18 DEGREES IN 1912. THIS WAS THE COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE IN THE LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY OR LATER SINCE 11 DEGREES ON MARCH 9 2003.

Cold
 
Below Zero Stats (Mar 1)
 
Unusually Long Stretch of Sub-freezing Lows (Feb 18)
 
Snowfall Amounts

Jan 2014:  Third Snowiest Month on Record for Chicago  (Feb 1)
 
One of the Snowiest Weeks on Record to Start the New Year  (Jan 5)
 
Frequency of Snowfall
 
Snowfall Nearly Every Other Day This Winter (Feb 10)
 
A Seven Week Period (Dec 8-Jan 26) of Near Record Frequency Snowfall  (Jan 26)

Snow on the Ground

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lot&storyid=100792&source=0