CXUS51 KBUF 011940
CLMROC
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
214 PM EST SUN MAR 1 2009
...................................
...THE ROCHESTER NY CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2009...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1830 TO 2009
WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR'S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              73   02/21/1997
 LOW              -22   02/09/1934
HIGHEST            57   02/27                         53  02/18
LOWEST              3   02/05                          0  02/29
AVG. MAXIMUM     37.1              33.2     3.9     33.5
AVG. MINIMUM     20.9              17.3     3.6     19.2
MEAN             29.0              25.3     3.7     26.4
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     10              13.8    -3.8       13
DAYS MIN <= 32     25              25.3    -0.3       28
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               1.8    -1.8        1
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         5.04   1876
 MINIMUM         0.21   1841
TOTALS           1.63              2.04   -0.41     4.27
DAYS >= .01        12                                 18
DAYS >= .10         3                                 10
DAYS >= .50         1                                  4
DAYS >= 1.00        0                                  1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.82   02/11 TO 02/12           02/06 TO 02/06
                                                          02/26 TO 02/26
                                                          02/26 TO 02/26
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           64.8   5
                        0
                        -26215
TOTALS           13.9              22.2    -8.3     23.7
SINCE 7/1       100.5              78.1    22.4     82.4
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      2                MM      MM        1
DAYS >= 1.0         5               6.8    -1.8        8
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         9   02/01                          6  02/27
 24 HR TOTAL      5.3   02/20                    02/26 TO 02/26
                                                          02/26 TO 02/26
                                                          02/26 TO 02/26
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1001              1117    -116     1113
 SINCE 7/1       4844              4853      -9     4414
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1          0                 0       0        0
.................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              10.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    36/260
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    49/260    DATE  02/12
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            1
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             14
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         13
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     64
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               1
HEAVY RAIN                2     RAIN                       3
LIGHT RAIN                8     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       6
LIGHT SNOW               13     SLEET                      1
FOG                       7     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      0
HAZE                     11
-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
$$
...A QUIETER END TO METEOROLOGICAL WINTER...
AFTER TWO AND A HALF MONTHS OF WINTERS FURY...FEBRUARY WAS RATHER
TAME WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW AVERAGE SNOWFALL. ONE
RECORD WAS SET...ON THE 11TH A RECORD WARM MINIMUM WAS SET AT 44
DEGREES. A BURST OF SNOW ON THE 20TH PRODUCED 5.3 INCHES OF SNOW...
OTHERWISE DAILY SNOWFALLS EQUATED TO THE MANAGEABLE NICKLE AND DIME
VARIETY THAT KEPT AREA ROADWAYS SLICK.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 29.0F WAS NEARLY FOUR DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL FOR THE MONTH AND THIS MONTH WAS THE 31ST WARMEST FEBRUARY OF
139 YEARS OF RECORDS. THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH
OCCURRED ON THE 27TH WHEN THE MERCURY ROSE TO 57 DEGREES...AHEAD OF
A SHARP COLD FRONT THAT DROPPED THE TEMPERATURE TO 22 DEGREES BY
MIDNIGHT. THERE WERE FIVE DAYS IN WHICH THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 50
DEGREES OR WARMER. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS SET ON THE 5TH WHEN
THE TEMPERATURE PLUMMETED TO 3 DEGREES. ONLY EIGHT DAYS IN THE MONTH
HAD DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL.
PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW
NORMAL...WITH 1.63 INCHES FALLING. THE MAIN PRECIPITATION EVENT FOR
THE MONTH WAS A SYNOPTIC SYSTEM THAT BROUGHT RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW.
THIS EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 11TH AND 12TH (0.56 INCHES AND 0.39 INCHES
RESPECTIVELY) AND THE PRECIPITATION THAT FELL BROUGHT ROUGHLY HALF
OF THE PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH.
TEMPERATURES INCREASED DURING THE SECOND WEEK IN FEBRUARY TOPPING
WITH THREE STRAIGHT DAYS OF TEMPERATURES 50F OR HIGHER ON THE 10TH
THROUGH 12TH. THIS WARMING TREND LEAD TO SNOWPACK ABLATION. THESE
TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH FALLING RAIN SWELLED SOME AREA
CREEKS AND RIVERS TO NEAR OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE.
FEBRUARY'S TOTAL OF 13.9 INCHES OF SNOW WAS JUST OVER EIGHT
INCHES SHY OF NORMAL. THE GREATEST DAILY SNOW WAS 5.3 INCHES WHICH
OCCURRED ON THE 20TH IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW. THE REMAINDER OF SNOW EVENTS
WERE LESS THAN THREE INCHES.
THE SNOWPACK THAT BEGAN LATE IN DECEMBER AND HELD STEADY THROUGH
JANUARY ERODED DURING THE FIRST WEEK IN FEBRUARY. BY THE 8TH WE
WERE DOWN TO JUST AN INCH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND AT THE ROCHESTER
AIRPORT. THE SNOW DEPTH REMAINED AN INCH OR LESS FOR THE REMAINDER
OF THE MONTH EXCEPT FOR WHEN THE SNOW EVENT ON THE 20TH BROUGHT THE
SNOWPACK'S DEPTH TO GREATER THAN AN INCH FOR TWO DAYS.
SUNSHINE IN FEBRUARY WAS 16 PERCENT ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. JUST
OVER HALF (54 PERCENT) THE DAYLIGHT HOURS HAD SUNSHINE...INCLUDING A
STRETCH FROM THE 13TH TO THE 17TH WHERE ALL DAYS HAD AT LEAST 50
PERCENT OF POSSIBLE SUNSHINE. EIGHT OF THE TWENTY EIGHT DAYS IN
FEBRUARY HAD 80 PERCENT OR MORE SUNSHINE.
LAKE ONTARIO WATER TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATED BETWEEN 34 AND 36 DEGREES
FOR THE MONTH. WIND SPEED FOR THE MONTH AVERAGED AROUND 10 AND A
HALF MPH....WHICH WAS ABOUT A MILE PER HOUR SLOWER THAN NORMAL.
IN SUMMARY THIS FEBRUARY WILL BE NOTED FOR THE BELOW NORMAL SNOWFALL
AND THE ABUNDANCE OF FEBRUARY SUNSHINE.
&&
THOMAS
&&