With warmer weather over the last several days of February Clinton Area Official Weather Observer Jim Blaess reports the month moved the coldest February in local records to the 12th coldest.
Blaess says over the first 20 days of the month the overall average temperature had put 2021 as the coldest February, but over the last 8 days the month moved to the 12th on the list.
He says the overall average was 15.4 degrees which was 10.9 degrees below the normal.
The weather observer says the coldest February of 1885 with that overall average of 8.4 degrees.
Blaess says there were 14 days with zero or below temperatures and the ties 1905 for the 3rd most days with zero weather. The most was 1936 with 18 days.
Blaess says the average high was 23.5 degrees which was 11 degrees below the normal. That tied 2007 and 2014 for the 2nd lowest average. The lowest average high was 1936 at 19.7 degrees. The highest reading was 49 on the 27th.
Blaess says the precipitation was 1.08 inches which is .55 below the normal. He says that included 12.7 inches of snow. Blaess says that is 5.1 inches of above the average for snow.
For the October thru the February snow season, Blaess says there was 34.7 inches of snow. The weather observer says that is 7.3 inches above the normal for the period. He adds today (Monday) makes 63 consecutive days with at least one inch of snow on the ground. Blaess says the record is 108 days from December 1978 thru mid-March 1979.
For the meteorological winter, Blaess says the overall average temperature was 24 degrees which was 1.1 degree below the average for the period. Precipitation was .66 below the normal with 4.24 inches, but the snowfall was 7.3 inches above normal with 33 inches.
