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Northeast Regional Climate Center |
The Northeast's average temperature was 27.1 degrees, or 1.5 degrees above the long-term normal. This was two degrees warmer than last year and the warmest February since 2000. Conditions were similar to the previous month in that February began on a warm note and ended with below normal readings. This time, however, the colder-than-normal days did not cancel out the above normal days, resulting in positive temperature departures in each of the 12 Northeast states Rhode Island was closest to normal at 0.1 degrees above normal, while Maine had the greatest positive departure of 2.1 degrees. In general, the highest temperatures occurred from the 7th to the 9th, and the lowest from the 24th to the 27th.
Precipitation totals were below normal this month. The Northeast average of 2.39 inches was 89% of normal and 0.46 inches greater than February 2004. Only two states averaged above normal precipitation - Maine (104% of normal) and Vermont (103% of normal). Departures in the other 10 states ranged from 67% of normal in Delaware and Maryland to 98% of the long-term average in New Hampshire.
Snow totals were near normal except in Maine, northern New Hampshire, and northern Vermont. A rapidly intensifying low pressure system brought near blizzard conditions to northern New England on the 10th and 11th. Snow totals from this storm ranged from 5 to 30 inches, with the lowest amounts along the coast and in the river valleys.
Monthly Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
The average temperature for the three months that represent climatological winter was 26.0 degrees. This was 0.3 degrees above normal and 2.3 degrees warmer than last winter. New England and New York averaged below normal while the rest of the Northeast states had temperatures that were above the 30-year mean. At 1.2 degrees below normal, Rhode Island was the coolest state. West Virginia was the warmest, with a departure of 2.1 degrees above normal.
Precipitation during the winter of 2004/05 was 109% of normal. West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Maine averaged below normal; the remaining states were at or above normal. Departures ranged from 86% of normal in Delaware to 132% of normal in Pennsylvania.
Winter Season Summary of State Temperature and Precipitation Averages.
