How Cold has this February Been?

Bryant Park, New York City  (February 23, 2015) 

The last two weeks have featured some of the coldest weather on record in many cities across the Central and Eastern United States.  In addition to the cold, some cities, such as Boston, are also on the verge of setting a new record for snowiest season.  Locally, the Mid-Atlantic Region has also seen several days with snow this month, including nine days with snow reported at National Airport.

Despite the nine days of snow, the monthly total of 7.6” so far this month is within two inches of the February average of 5.7” in the Nation's Capital.  Meanwhile, Dulles Airport has observed almost double that amount with a total of 14” this month.  However, unlike February 2010 and February 2003 (that both saw a prolific amount of the snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic Region) February 2015 will be remembered more for prolonged cold, than for snowfall.

As recently as yesterday, Dulles Airport had their coldest temperature since 1996 with a morning low of -4 degrees.  That obliterated their previous record low of 14 degrees.  From February 15 – 21, Dulles Airport had seven consecutive days with low temperatures in the single digits.  According to the National Weather Service, that’s the coldest such stretch at Dulles Airport since January 1987.

Meanwhile, at National Airport, they had their coldest day in almost two decades last Friday.  On February 20, the temperature fell to 5 degrees breaking the 119 year old record low of 8 degrees.  Washington, D.C., hadn’t been that cold since February 1996 and hadn’t set a record low in February since 1970.  In fact, this month is setting up to be the coldest February in the Nation’s Capital since 1979 which had a monthly average temperature (combining daytime highs and nighttime lows) of 28.4 degrees.  Through February 24, this month has had an average temperature of 30.2 degrees. 

Dulles Airport has been even colder with an average monthly temperature of 25.4 degrees through yesterday.  That’s good for second coldest February on record (behind 1979 that saw an average monthly temperature of 23.3 degrees) according to the National Weather Service.  Since below average temperatures are expected to continue the rest of the week, February 2015 will finish as the coldest in decades in the Nation’s Capital.