February 2019
Monthly Overview - February 2019
Rain and Snow
February brought abundant precipitation to the Midwest
(Figure 1). Much in the form of rain in the Ohio River Valley, and in the form of snow for the upper Mississippi River Valley. The region as a whole ranked as the second wettest February since 1895, behind only last February. Precipitation for the region averaged nearly twice the normal amount (Figure 2) with some near near normal values from Missouri to Lake Erie between the two large areas that received several times their normal precipitation. In the Ohio River Valley, totals were two to three times normal. In the upper Mississippi River Valley totals were two to five times normal. Monthly precipitation records were set at more than 100 stations across the region
(Figure 3). Snow totals also set records for February at more than 100 stations in the upper Midwest (Figure 4). Snow totals exceeded 30 inches from northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, across northern Wisconsin, and all of Upper Michigan
(Figure 5). Totals exceeding 4 feet stretched from the southern shore of Lake Superior, across Wisconsin, and into southeastern Minnesota putting snow totals at more than five times normal (Figure 6). Eau Claire, Wisconsin
(Eau Claire County) set not only a February record but also a record for any month with 53.7 inches. Owatonna, Minnesota
(Steele County) had 52.5 inches which set its February record and also set the Minnesota state record for February.
Cold in Northwest, Warm in Southeast
Temperatures ranged from more than 10°F below normal in western Minnesota and Iowa to more than 5°F above normal in southeastern Kentucky
(Figure 7). On the heels of an Arctic outbreak at the end of January that lasted into the 1st of February, temperatures rapidly climbed with widespread warmth during the first week of February. The rest of the month had cold weather persisting in the northwest with warmer temperatures holding on in the southeast. The warmup during the first week of the month included more than 500 locations with a temperature range of 70°F or more for the period from January 29 to February 4th (Figure 8). The biggest warmup was in Mather, Wisconsin
(Juneau County) where temperatures ranged from a minimum of -47°F on the 1st to a maximum of 44°F on the 3rd.
Flooding and Drought Free
The abundant moisture in February, extending back through the winter, led to flooding in both the Ohio River Valley and the Mississippi River Valley
(Figure 9). With mostly rain in the Ohio Valley, the flooding reached major levels on the lower Ohio. In the upper Mississippi Valley, flooding was minor to moderate but with the increased risk of future major flooding due to the extensive snow pack and areas with deep frost levels. The moisture continued to keep the region drought free in 2019 and even eliminated the remaining areas noted as abnormally dry by the US Drought Monitor (Figure 10). The Midwest having 0% of it area abnormally dry last happened in May 2017 and this is only the third time it has happened since the inception of the US Drought Monitor in 2000.
Winter Wetness
The extreme wetness in February (199% of normal) came following December (123%) and January (132%) which were also above normal. The region ranked as the third wettest in history (1895-2019) with all nine states ranking among the 14 wettest winters in their respective states
(Figure 11). Wisconsin (2nd), Iowa (3rd), Kentucky (4th), and Missouri (5th) all ranked among the top-5 wettest. For the three-month season, the region had 148% of normal with statewide totals running from 126% to 176% of normal.
Winter Temperatures
Winter temperatures showed a similar pattern to the February temperatures although with a weaker signal. Temperatures in the northwestern part of the region were up to 4°F below normal and ranged to as much as 3°F above normal in the southeast (Figure 12). The winter was mild for the first month and a half followed by several shots of Arctic cold in the latter half of January and throughout February.
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