Minneapolis Snowfall Update: Second Snowiest Winter (December-February) on Record

Image (click to enlarge): Top 5 cumulative seasonal snowfalls to date vs. 2010-11 at Minneapolis, from National Weather Service

March 22, 11 PM CDT Update: The total storm snowfall of 4" to 7" expected through Wednesday would bring the season's total to 84"-87". This could raise the current season to as high as 4th snowiest in Minneapolis history. A minimum of 1.2" would be necessary to reach 6th place, 4.0" to reach 5th place, and 4.8" to reach 4th place. (The current total to date is 80.2".)

March 9 Update: An additional 0.8" through this morning brings the seasonal total to 79.5", putting it in 7th place, behind the 1961-1962 amount of 81.3".

March 7, Noon CST Update: The storm total of 2.1" through this morning puts the seasonal total in sole possession of 8th place with 78.7".

March 6, Midnight CST Update: The 1.7" of snow on Sunday brings the seasonal total to 78.3", still 0.1" below 8th place 1966-67.
The top 10 seasons are:

1983-1984   98.6                                         
1981-1982   95.0                                         
1950-1951   88.9                                         
1916-1917   84.9                                         
1991-1992   84.1                                         
1961-1962   81.3                                         
1951-1952   79.0                                         
1966-1967   78.4                                         
2010-2011   78.3                       
2000-2001   75.8  

March 6 Update: The overall snow season at Minneapolis extends beyond the meteorological winter months of December-February. For the entire season, the 76.6" to date is in 9th place. The record amount was 98.6" in 1983-84, so it would require nearly 2 feet more in the remainder of March and April in order to break the seasonal record.

Original post:
The National Weather Service reports that the 66.7" of snow for the 2010-11 meteorological winter (December-February) was the second largest amount on record at Minneapolis. The record snowiest winter was in 1966-67, when 71.7" fell. It was also the 4th wettest winter on record. The 4.91" of precipitation was 173% of normal.

The average winter temperature at Minneapolis was 1.6° below normal. As the 58th coldest winter, it was near the middle of the range for the 140-year climate history of Minneapolis. The average daily high temperature was 3.0° below normal (36th coldest), but the average low was only 0.1° below normal.

St. Cloud had its 4th snowiest winter on record with 47.5" of snow, and the 4.35" of precipitation was also the 4th wettest on record.

Here are the Minneapolis extreme warmest, coldest, wettest, and snowiest winters, from the National Weather Service (HDD denotes heating degree days):

                            EXTREME      YEAR     DEPART            RANK
DEC-JAN-FEB       MAX          36.3      1878      11.1   WARMEST     1  WARM
DEC-JAN-FEB       MAX          13.3      1875     -11.9   COLDEST     1  COLD
DEC-JAN-FEB       MIN          21.6      1878      12.6   WARMEST     1  WARM
DEC-JAN-FEB       MIN          -5.8      1875     -14.8   COLDEST     1  COLD
DEC-JAN-FEB       MEAN         29.0      1878      11.7   WARMEST     1  WARM
DEC-JAN-FEB       MEAN         3.8       1875     -13.5   COLDEST     1  COLD
DEC-JAN-FEB       HDD          3240      1878     -1077   WARMEST     1  WARM
DEC-JAN-FEB       HDD          5471      1875      1154   COLDEST     1  COLD
DEC-JAN-FEB       PRECIP       9.58      1881      6.75   SNOWIEST    1  WET
DEC-JAN-FEB       PRECIP       0.69      1958     -2.14   DRIEST      1  DRY
DEC-JAN-FEB       SNOW         71.7      1967      40.0   WETTER      1  WET
DEC-JAN-FEB       SNOW         5.2       1944     -26.5   DRIER       1  DRY  

Washington's Winter 2010-11: Stick a Fork In It

With a high temperature of 72° on Monday, February 28, Washington's meteorological winter of 2010-11 ended on a distinctly warm note. The daily high was the 4th one of the month at or above 70°. It was the greatest number of 70° days in February since 1997, when there were also 4. Despite a stretch of 5 consecutive days below average in the second week, the February average temperature of 41.7° was 3.6° above the climatological mean. Although there were 16 days with lows at freezing or below, there were no days with highs below freezing. On average, there are 17 days with lows at or below freezing and 2 such highs.

February is now the 11th month out of the last 14 with above-average temperatures in Washington, following cooler-than-normal readings in December and January. It was the warmest February average since the 42.6° in 2002. Despite the slight dip in December and January, the accumulated temperature departure since January 2010 has rebounded to 30°. Averaged over the 14-month period, that's over 2° above the climatological mean.

For the winter overall, temperatures averaged 0.9° below normal. It was the 3rd consecutive below-average winter in Washington, but 6 out of the 12 winters since 2000 have been above average, and the mean for the century to date is +0.6°.

Despite the relentless pimping of the s-word by certain eyeball-hungry local media outlets, the warm temperatures combined with below-average precipitation of 2.12" to produce a mere 0.5" of snow for the month. The greatest amount in a 24-hour period was 0.2".

As has been noted here in the past, March snow is not unheard of in Washington, with double digit amounts on a few occasions, and the all-time daily record was set as late as the 29th. Nevertheless, the current seasonal total of 9.9" of snow is 28% below the normal amount to date. A snowless March would add about another 10% to that deficit.

San Francisco Snow? (Would Be) Fifth Occurrence in Last Century Update: No SFO Snow, 1976 Record Holds

Feb. 28 Update: Other than a few flurries, snow failed to materialize in San Francisco. The National Weather Service reports:

As it turns out, a few showers did linger during the early morning hours of February 26th to allow for snow all the way down to sea level. However, only trace snowfall was reported around San Francisco. Therefore the last measurable snowfall in San Francisco still remains 1976. Farther south toward Monterey, light snowfall dustings were also reported. Higher peaks above approximately 2000 feet received more measurable snowfall with a few inches, which is not unusual for this time of year. The overall airmass remained rather unstable during the afternoon of February 26th which resulted in convective rain and snow showers across the region. Several weather spotters reported snow down to sea level once again, but no accumulation was noted.

1:30 PM PST Update: (Headline modified to clarify event is only a possibility.) The latest forecast discussion from the National Weather Service confirms that measurable snow is unlikely below elevations of 500 feet:

 AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE RAIN WILL TURN TO SHOWERS. THE NORTH BAY
 MOUNTAINS COULD GET SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW LATER THIS MORNING INTO
 THE AFTERNOON...BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL END BY
 LATE AFTERNOON NORTH OF THE GOLDEN GATE. THERE COULD BE LIGHT
 RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS TONIGHT...WITH SAN FRANCISCO POSSIBLY SEEING SOME
 SNOWFLAKES OVERNIGHT...BUT NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. LOOKS LIKE
 THE MAIN AREA THAT HAS THE BEST CHANCE OF SEEING SIGNIFICANT SNOW
 WILL BE THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS AND THE EAST BAY HILLS SOUTH...AND
 SOUTH OF THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. 

Note to Ice Agers: The average change in temperature with height is 5.38°F/1,000 Ft, more when the air is especially cold aloft as in the current situation, so snowfall in the hills doesn't count for any records.

Meanwhile, very heavy rainfall rates have been reported this morning from the storm. A downpour in northeastern San Francisco recorded 0.11" of rain in 5 minutes, a rate of over 1" per hour. Over 2" were reported in 24 hours west of Cupertino.

Original post:
A strong upper-level low pressure area is bringing cold temperatures to the San Francisco Bay area and prompting the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory for elevations above 1000 feet in the North Bay area:

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST
 FRIDAY. 
 
 * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 1 INCH 1000 TO 1500 FEET WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES
   ABOVE 1500 FEET. 6 INCHES OR MORE FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 2500 FEET.
 
 * ELEVATION: HEAVIEST SNOW WILL BE ABOVE 1500 FEET BUT
   ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED AS LOW AS 1000 FEET.
 
 * TIMING: A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING AND
   CHANGE TO ALL SNOW OVERNIGHT AS SNOW LEVELS DROP. STEADY PRECIPITATION
   WILL CHANGE TO SNOW SHOWERS BY FRIDAY MORNING.  

If measurable snow were to occur at sea level, it would be only the 5th such occurrence in the past century, according to Golden Gate Weather Services. Unofficial reports indicate that there were 7 such events in the second half of the 19th century.

H/T: NCAR AtmosNews

Minneapolis Sets Single-Storm Snowfall Record

Images (click to enlarge): Feb. 20-21, 2011 total snowfall amounts for metro Minneapolis and for surrounding southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, from National Weather Service

The 13.8" of snow on February 20-21 in Minneapolis was the largest amount for a single storm in February. It was also the first time more than a foot of snow fell in a single February storm. Some nearby locations reported amounts up to 20".

Of the top 5 February storm totals at Minneapolis, 3 have now occurred in the last 7 years. Climate records at Minneapolis have been collected for 140 years (since 1871).

From the National Weather Service:

Top 5 February Snow Storms for the Twin Cities
1) Feb. 20-21 2011    13.8"
2) Feb. 1-3 2004      11.2"
3) Feb. 19-20 1952    10.5"
4) Feb. 22 1913        8.8"
5) Feb. 24-25 2007     8.7"  

The winter snowfall total of 74.9" to date at Minneapolis is now the 10th highest on record for a full season, but it's the 3rd highest to date. The record seasonal total was 98.6" in 1983-84.

The NWS points out that February on average is the least snowiest winter month in Minneapolis. The reason for this is that the upper Midwest is usually dominated by cold high pressure areas in mid-winter. These tend to be relatively dry, and they suppress the prevailing storm track to the south. Except for a stretch of several days in which temperatures failed to rise out of the single digits, this February has been relatively warm at Minneapolis. Through the first 3 weeks, the month has averaged 1.1° above the long-term climatological mean.

Here are some reports of double-digit snow totals from southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

20.00   MADISON                  MN  LAC QUI PARLE    0830 PM
19.60   BLOOMINGTON              MN  HENNEPIN         0825 PM
19.00   3 NW EDEN PRAIRIE        MN  HENNEPIN         0515 PM
18.00   CREDIT RIVER             MN  SCOTT            0937 PM
18.00   BURNSVILLE               MN  DAKOTA           0519 PM
17.50   SPRINGFIELD              MN  BROWN            0840 AM
16.30   1 SSW MONTEVIDEO         MN  CHIPPEWA         0700 AM
15.50   2 W PRIOR LAKE           MN  SCOTT            0900 AM
15.10   LAKEVILLE                MN  DAKOTA           0814 PM
15.10   RICHFIELD                MN  HENNEPIN         0820 PM
15.00   OSCEOLA                  WI  POLK             0500 PM
15.00   MENOMONIE                WI  DUNN             0552 PM
15.00   3 SSW BURNSVILLE         MN  DAKOTA           0845 AM
14.20   1 N PRIOR LAKE           MN  SCOTT            0930 PM
14.00   INVER GROVE HEIGHTS      MN  DAKOTA           1002 PM
14.00   WOODBURY                 MN  WASHINGTON       0800 AM
14.00   EDEN PRAIRIE             MN  HENNEPIN         0809 PM
14.00   RED WING                 MN  GOODHUE          0730 PM
13.60   ANDOVER                  MN  ANOKA            1024 PM
13.50   MAPLEWOOD                MN  RAMSEY           1210 PM
13.80   MINNEAPOLIS(MSP AIRPORT) MN  HENNEPIN         1240 AM
13.70   CHANHASSEN (NWS OFFICE)  MN  CARVER           1240 AM
13.30   ST PAUL                  MN  RAMSEY           0610 AM
13.00   GRANITE FALLS            MN  CHIPPEWA         1013 AM
12.90   3 WNW RICE               MN  STEARNS          0700 AM
12.70   EDINA                    MN  HENNEPIN         0203 PM
12.70   1 NW BURNSVILLE          MN  DAKOTA           0700 PM
12.60   COON RAPIDS              MN  ANOKA            0638 PM
12.50   CARVER                   MN  CARVER           0700 AM
12.40   HASTINGS                 MN  DAKOTA           0907 PM
12.40   ROBERTS                  WI  ST. CROIX        0800 AM
12.30   5 SW ST PAUL             MN  RAMSEY           0845 AM
12.00   1 N CAMERON              WI  BARRON           0500 PM
12.00   MANKATO                  MN  BLUE EARTH       0333 PM
12.00   LAKE ELMO                MN  WASHINGTON       0800 AM
12.00   3 N BLOOMER              WI  CHIPPEWA         0730 AM
12.00   BALDWIN                  WI  ST. CROIX        0700 AM
12.00   3 SW MINNEAPOLIS         MN  HENNEPIN         0900 PM
12.00   SHAKOPEE                 MN  SCOTT            0854 PM
11.60   JORDAN                   MN  SCOTT            0710 AM
11.50   MILROY                   MN  REDWOOD          0700 AM
11.10   BLAINE                   MN  ANOKA            0917 PM
11.00   DURAND                   WI  PEPIN            1000 PM
11.00   SAUK RAPIDS              MN  BENTON           0800 PM
11.00   MORGAN                   MN  REDWOOD          0702 AM
11.00   4 NNE MAPLEWOOD          MN  RAMSEY           0830 PM
11.00   1 ESE CHASKA             MN  CARVER           0800 PM
10.60   3 NNW MINNEAPOLIS        MN  HENNEPIN         0346 PM
10.60   MINNETONKA               MN  HENNEPIN         0803 AM
10.50   CLAYTON                  WI  POLK             0616 PM
10.50   LITCHFIELD               MN  MEEKER           0420 PM
10.50   ELK MOUND                WI  DUNN             0600 AM
10.50   REDWOOD FALLS            MN  REDWOOD          0500 AM
10.30   7 S HILLMAN              MN  MORRISON         0335 PM
10.20   OAKDALE                  MN  WASHINGTON       0747 PM
10.00   GLENWOOD                 MN  POPE             0600 PM
10.00   ST JAMES                 MN  WATONWAN         0700 PM
10.00   MADELIA                  MN  WATONWAN         1245 PM
10.00   COMFREY                  MN  BROWN            1210 PM
10.00   BROWNTON                 MN  MCLEOD           1210 PM
10.00   NW GILMAN                MN  BENTON           0828 AM
10.00   ISANTI                   MN  ISANTI           0626 AM
10.00   EAU CLAIRE WQOW          WI  EAU CLAIRE       0500 AM
10.00   2 N MENOMONIE            WI  DUNN             1100 PM
10.00   1 W CARVER               MN  CARVER           0900 PM
10.00   4 SSW MINNEAPOLIS        MN  HENNEPIN         0700 PM
10.00   ST PETER                 MN  NICOLLET         0530 PM   

Record Temperatures Reach Mid-Atlantic; 120-Year Washington, Baltimore Minimums Broken

Feb. 18 Update: Added more reports for Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina.

Midnight Update: The midnight temperatures are: National 59°, Dulles 55°, and BWI 55°, so the record high minimums hold.

Quantico and College Park are still at 60° and 61°, respectively. On the Maryland Eastern Shore, Ocean City is a summer-like 65°, and Salisbury is 63°.

The National Climatic Data Center preliminary report shows nearly 200 new record highs on Feb. 18 alone. Following a similar number the previous day, the month-to-date count is now almost tied with record lows.

6 PM Update: Nearly all major National Weather Service reporting locations in Pennsylvania tied or broke high temperature records (see list below). Reports to be added as available.

Original post:
Temperatures soared into the 70s for the second consecutive time today in the DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia) region. The highs of 77° at Washington National and 75° at Dulles were both new records, and the 74° at Baltimore/BWI missed the record by only 1°. The Washington high is 30° above normal.

In addition, the morning lows were all new record high minimums. Assuming they hold through midnight, which appears to be likely, the minimums will break 120-year-old records.

Note that these record high February temperatures, which follow a record hot summer, broke records which followed the previously warmest summer of 1980.

The new records (old records and dates in parentheses) are:

                     High           Low
Washington National  77 (76, 1981)  52 (50, 1891)   
Washington Dulles    75 (73, 1981)  53 (50, 1976)  
Baltimore/BWI                       51 (50, 1891) 

More records set or tied in other states:

Zanesville OH    66 (64, 2006)
Youngstown OH    59 (tie, 1994)
Greenville SC    78 (73, 1916)
Raleigh NC       78 (75, 1948)
Greensboro NC    75 (71, 2008)
Charlotte NC     78 (tie, 1891) 
Richmond VA      77 (tie, 1976) 
Wallops Is. VA   73 (64, 1986) 
Danville VA      77 (tie, 1976) 
Lynchburg VA     75 (tie, 1927)
Blacksburg VA    65 (tie, 1976) 
Roanoke VA       72 (tie, 1971) 
Pittsburgh PA    66 (65, 1981)
Williamsport PA  66 (63, 1981)
Harrisburg PA    69 (tie, 1890)
Allentown PA     67 (66, 2008)
Philadelphia PA  69 (tie, 1891, 1890)
Reading PA       71 (70, 1981)
Atlantic City NJ 72 (69, 1981)
Trenton NJ       72 (tie, 1890)
Newark NJ        71 (69, 1981)
Kennedy Airpt NY 67 (57, 1981) 
LaGuardia NY     67 (66, 1981)
Binghamton NY    58 (57, 1981)

Image (click to enlarge): U.S. surface temperature map at 3 pm EST, February 18, 2011, shows 70° readings as far north as the Mason-Dixon line (from Unisys)

Nano Ice Age Update II: Record Temperatures From Kansas to New Jersey

8 PM CST Update: Additional records, including Lincoln, Illinois breaking a century-old record by 4°:

Des Moines IA  68 (tie, 1981)
Lincoln IL     63 (59, 1911) 
Peoria IL      64 (tie, 1890)
Springfield IL 68 (67, 1911 and 1890)
Muskegon MI    51 (50, 2008 and 1911)  
Zanesville OH  66 (64, 2006) 
Beckley WV     66 (63, 1975)
Huntington WV  70 (tie, 1975)
Bluefield WV   66 (65, 1961) 
Harrisburg PA  67 (65, 1891)
Binghamton NY  55 (tie, 1981)   

Original post:
As warm air spread eastward from the southern Plains, more daily high temperature records were set or tied today across a wide area and by wide margins. In several cases, those margins were as much as 5 degrees in periods of record extending back over a century. For example, Burlington, Iowa, whose observations began in 1897, saw its old record from 1994 smashed by 5° with a reading of 66°.

Rolla, Missouri broke its 1971 record by 4° with a reading of 73°. Records there date back to 1888.

Columbia, Missouri smashed its 1994 record by 6° with a high of 74°. The period of record in Columbia began in 1890.

The St. Louis high of 76° missed a century-old record by only 1°.

Other record reports from the National Weather Service (old record and date in parentheses):

Topeka KS      76 (74, 1913)
Wichita KS     78 (75, 1970)
Moline IL      63 (62, 1981)
Kansas City MO 74 (72, 1970) 
Joplin MO      74 (73, 1971)
Trenton NJ     67 (tie, 1976) [records began 1865]
Newark NJ      66 (tie, 1976)
Reading PA     64 (tie, 1976) [records began 1869] 

More reports to be added as they become available.

Washington's 2nd February Day of 70°+, 3rd on Tap

Today's high of 72° in Washington was the second this month of 70° or higher, and there's a third one on tap for tomorrow. While unusual, this event is not unique. The last time there were 2 days with 70°+ in February was in 2000. There were 4 such events in 1997.

The record for February since observations began at or near the current location of National Airport in 1930 was 7 in 1976, which benefited from being a leap year. There were 2 spans of 3 consecutive days each: Feb. 16-18 (73°, 79°, and 76°) and Feb. 27-29 (71°, 74°, and 77°). The high was also 71° on Feb. 25 that year.

The chart shows all of the previous years since 1930 with 2 or more 70°+ days in February.