February Comes In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb
Well, the saying above is supposed to apply to March, not February, but at least for this year, it works for me.
For 14 of the first 18 days of February, the mean temperature recorded was below 40 degrees. This is during a period when mean temperatures should be between 42 and 45 degrees. Then, as if by magic, the weather turned, and since the 21st, the mean temperature hasn’t gone below 50 degrees, and in the last few days, high temperatures have been about ten degrees above normal.
Essentially, a change in the upper air pattern from a trough over the eastern part of the country to a west to east zonal flow made all the difference in the world. Overall, February will go down as colder than normal by slightly over one degree, and will end up being colder than what we saw in January. Across the country, February is likely to go down as one of the top five coldest on record, but we’ll have to wait until the middle of next month for the final stats to be tallied.
What continues to be a concern is the lack of rainfall. With a total of 5.65 inches year to date in Lawrenceville, and 6.8 inches in Atlanta, we’re about 3 inches short of where we should be for the year. The Weather Service has classified North Georgia as ‘abnormally dry’ in its latest drought report, and doesn’t see any improvement in its drought outlook.
We may, however, see a bit of lion in the first few days of March. An approaching front will pass through on the first that could bring some thunder to the area, and over an inch of rain. Beyond that, we could see more precipitation over the weekend, although at this point, the chances are slim.
Sphere: Related Content