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Northeast Regional Climate Center |
For the sixth straight year February was warmer than usual in the Northeast. The average temperature for the region was 30.7 degrees which is 5.2 degrees above normal. That makes it the 7th warmest February on record in the Northeast. All 12 states were significantly above normal. Maine and West Virginia were the only two states whose February average did not rank among the warmest ten on record. These states had positive temperature departures of 3.4 and 3.2 degrees, respectively. The remaining ten states were all more than 4.0 degrees above normal. Seven states were more than 5.0 degrees above normal, and both New York and Connecticut had positive departures over 6.0 degrees. New York recorded its fifth warmest Febraury on record with a reading of 29.5 degrees - 6.8 degrees above normal. Connecticut recorded a temperature of 34.7 degrees (6.3 degrees above normal), warm enough to make it the second warmest February on record. Connecticut came within 0.6 degrees of the all-time record of 35.3 degrees set in 1998. New Jersey, with a temperature of 38.7 degrees was the only other state within a degree of its all-time record. This was the warmest February since 1998 and the second warmest since 1984.
Precipitation across the Northeast averaged 0.70 inches less than the normal 2.68. Overall for the Northeast this was the 12th driest February on record, but individually the states varied immensely. For the Atlantic states (New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware), February 2002 was the driest on record. Each of the three states recorded under an inch of precipitation for the month and were more than 2 inches below their respective normals. Delaware demolished its old record of 1.02 inches (set back in 1901) with a new value of 0.69 inches. The new records for New Jersey and Maryland are 0.75 inches and 0.56 inches, respectively. Also on the dry side were Rhode Island and West Virginia, both with less than 50% of the normal precipitation. West Virginia recorded only 1.08 inches, making it the 4th driest on record for that state. The northern states fared much better in terms of precipitation. In fact, the northern New England states (Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire) were all wetter than normal this month. February was the 8th month in a row with below average precipitation in the Northeast.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
The winter of 2001-2002 (Dec, Jan, Feb) was the warmest on record in the Northeast. The average temperature of 32.2 degrees taken over the three month period broke the old record of 32.0 degrees that had stood since 1932. Seven states set individual state records. These were New York and New Jersey, and the New England states with the exception of Maine. In addition to the warmth, this winter was also particularly dry in some areas. Maryland and New Jersey both set new state records for their driest winter.
Winter Season Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.