As Winter Sets Back In For Now, A Remarkably Springlike February So Far

This week, my yard in St. Albans looked as it should
around April 1 after a very warm February so far. 

 As I write this late this morning, it''s awful outside my St. Albans, Vermont window.

All morning, we've had freezing drizzle, freezing rain, sleet and a little snow, and even a brief hail storm. 

However, until now, I have to stop and mention how remarkable this month has been so far. 

In Burlington, the snowfall this month as of yesterday was 0.4 inches. That's it. Not even  half an inch.  That's a full 11 inches below normal for this far into the month of February. Some more will come today, but it won't be a whopping amount. 

The least snow of any February in Burlington was 1.3 inches in 1957.  We do have several shots at receiving some snow before the end of the month, so I can't say that we'll set any record in that department. At least not yet.

So far this winter, Burlington had received just 37.7 inches of snow as of Thursday. That's a full 20 inches below normal for this point in the winter. 

We won't have a record low year for snow totals. That was set in the winter of 1912-13 with just 31.8 inches. We have an outside chance of scoring in the top 10 least snowy winters, though. In 10th place currently is 1937-38 with 45.1 inches. 

Also, despite the intense two-day cold wave on February 3 and 4, in which both days were roughly 20 degrees below normal, this February has turned out pretty warm so far.

As of yesterday, Burlington was running 6.5 degrees warmer than normal. 

Though we do have a couple mild days coming up Sunday and Monday, today's weather marks a general change for the rest of the month. It won't necessarily be frigid, but the balmy air we had the past couple of days is a thing of the past, at least for now. 

If you were enjoying the mild conditions, cheer up.  The normal daily temperature has started rise withy the increasing sun angle. 

The normal average temperature on February 1 was 20.5 degrees. Today, that average is 23.5. A month from now, on March 17, the normal average is 32.5. It's gradually going to get harder and harder to see any extremely cold, wintry temperatures. 

We're heading toward "real" spring but it might take awhile.

Video:

Scenes from a February that look completely like March, including melting snow, mud, March winds and brooks breaking through the winter ice. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.