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The nation’s third warmest February on document secured a spot for winter 2023-24 because the warmest in U.S. data going again to 1895, in line with the month-to-month local weather replace issued by NOAA on March 8.
Utilizing the climatological definition of the season — December via February — winter 2023-24 averaged 37.6°F for the 48 contiguous U.S. states, hovering 0.82°F above the earlier document from winter 2015-16. This stands as the most important margin from one 12 months to the next-warmest 12 months throughout all the 129-year database of winter temperatures. As in 2015-16, this winter’s U.S. heat was boosted by a robust El Niño occasion.
Every of the 4 seasons has now seen document U.S. heat since 2010, together with spring 2012, summer season 2021 (tying 1936), and autumn 2016.
Winter 2023-24 was the warmest on document for eight states stretching throughout the nation’s northern tier, from North Dakota to New Hampshire. An exceptional three-quarters of the 48 contiguous states had a top-10-warmest winter (see Determine 2).
Winter as a complete would have been much more record-smashingly delicate had it not been for a pointy few days of chilly and widespread snow in mid-to-late January. That month solely got here in because the nation’s Forty eighth-warmest January, however December’s document heat and February’s third-place end pushed the season as a complete to the highest of the warmth rankings.
The winter-scale heat was particularly hanging within the Higher Midwest. Among the many record-melting stats pulled collectively for Minneapolis-St. Paul by meteorologist Tony D (@WX_TD):
18 days reached at the least 50°F (outdated document: eight days in 1980-81)
solely 23 days dipped to or under 20°F (outdated document: 34 days in 1877-78)
As for February, each contiguous U.S. state got here in a lot milder than common. It was the warmest February on document for 4 states — Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin —and a top-10 warmest for twenty-four states in all throughout a lot of the Plains, Midwest, and Northeast, from Texas to North Dakota to Maine.
In contrast to January, there was no nationwide chilly blast to interrupt February’s mildness in any main manner. Actually, knowledge compiled by impartial meteorologist Man Walton present that the nation set or tied simply 45 every day document low minima in February, in comparison with 2,908 document excessive maxima.
Numerous rain, not a lot snow – and a mammoth fireplace in Texas
Winter 2023-24 was the Thirty first-wettest for the contiguous U.S. in 129 years of record-keeping. If this had been a cold winter extra typical of final century, all that precipitation might need translated into blankets of snow cowl. As an alternative, this winter’s moisture fell largely as rain. On numerous days this winter, snow extent throughout the 48 contiguous states dipped into record-low territory for the date in satellite tv for pc knowledge extending again to 2003, together with through the run-up to the year-end holidays.
Ice cowl extent throughout the Nice Lakes plunged to record-low values in midwinter, as mentioned by Jeff Masters in a February 16 put up. On common, Nice Lakes ice extent peaks in early March, with near 40% protection typical (see Determine 5). As of March 7, a mere 2.2% of the lake floor was ice-covered, the bottom extent for the date in 51 years of record-keeping.
The foremost city areas of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast did see a few noteworthy snows in January and February, as a number of cities notched their first calendar day with an inch of snow in additional than two years. Nonetheless, a number of different doubtlessly massive snowstorms missed the mark. In February, one main system dumped document February rains in Colorado, and one other produced an intense however slender snow streak from Pennsylvania into the New York Metropolis space.
Learn: What’s behind this winter’s U.S. snow drought?
Averaged nationwide, February precipitation got here in because the Fortieth-lowest amongst 130 years of record-keeping. It was a top-10 driest February for 12 states from the Midwest to the Northeast, together with New York and each New England state. A significant snowstorm socked California’s Sierra Nevada simply as February was segueing into March.
Largely in step with El Niño expectations, winter precipitation was decrease than common over a lot of the Northwest and better than common throughout the Southwest. With a fast transition to La Niña now trying more and more possible by midyear, the percentages of drought throughout the nation’s Sunbelt will as soon as once more be rising. So the final two consecutive years of beneficiant moisture and snowpack throughout California and the Southwest will function essential buffers for water provide – though the chance of wildfire will soar as quickly because the panorama dries out.
The Texas Panhandle shared within the El Niño moisture, recording one in all its wettest winters on document. Nonetheless, the grasslands of Texas can dry out rapidly in late winter. Within the final days of February, fierce winds and record-warm temperatures ended up stoking what seems to be the most important fireplace in fashionable U.S. historical past outdoors of Alaska.
Rising to 500,000 acres in its first day alone (February 26-27), the Smokehouse Creek Fireplace tore from simply north of Amarillo eastward into excessive western Oklahoma. The blaze had scorched 1,058,570 acres as of March 8, placing it forward of the August Complicated, California’s largest wildfire on document (1,032,648 acres). A minimum of two folks have been killed by the Smokehouse Creek Fireplace and at the least 130 constructions have destroyed.
Jeff Masters contributed to this put up.
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