ACON - VA/NC/SC
The Atlantic Coast Observer Network: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina

This month's banner tells it all!  After a cold, snowy and wild January, the weather reverted to pre-January mild conditions with milder than average temps and below normal precipitation.  Compared to January, few- if any - significant weather events occurred.  For most, a welcome relief from January's severe weather.

NOTES FROM "AROUND THE LEAGUE"

Virginia:

Annandale -  These notes taken directly from Lowell's monthly summary:  FEBRUARY  WAS  WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE AND HAD LITTLE FROZEN PRECIPITATION WITH  A  DEPARTURE OF -5.0 INCHES.   THE MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR FEB. WAS 40.9° OR A +3.5° DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH.  THE TOTAL PRECIP. WAS 2.24 INCHES  OR A -0.78 DEPARTURE FOR THE MONTH  EVEN WITH THE ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPS. WE HAD AT LEAST A TRACE OF SNOW IN THE BACK YARD FOR 20 DAYS  WE HAD 13 DAYS WITH THE TEMP.OF 55° OR WARMER AND ON THE 25TH THE MAX WAS ONLY 3° FROM THE RECORD MAX. FOR FEB. SET IN 1985.   THE 25TH WAS ALSO THE WARMEST DAY HERE SINCE SEPT. 14TH 1999. THE MIN. FOR FEB. WAS ONLY 20° WHICH IS +7° DEPARTURE FROM THE AVE.   THE AVE. DAILY TEMP. RANGE WAS 18.4° WHICH WAS THE MOST SINCE 1991 PROBABALY DUE TO THE SNOW COVER FOR MORE THAN 1/2 OF FEB.   ON THE 27TH A TSRA DROPPED THE MOST RAIN IN FEB. IN 1 HR (0.73INCHES) & IN 5 MINS. SINCE THESE REC. WERE STARTED IN '91  FEB. HAD NO SEVERE STORMS THUS THE LOWEST BAR. FOR FEB. WAS THE HIGHEST MIN. BAR. FOR FEB.SINCE1989

Arlington - NWS reports that Washington's mean temp  departure was +4.8^o while precip was a whopping 5.4" below the norm!.
EARLY FEBRUARY BEGAN WITH A CONTINUATION OF THE COLD WEATHER THAT MARKED THE LATTER HALF OF JANUARY.  BUT AFTER THE COLD START...TEMPERATURES WARMED SIGNIFICANTLY AND THE MONTH ENDED UP MORE THAN FOUR AND A HALF DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. FEBRUARY WAS MODERATELY WARM BY CLIMATOLOGICAL STANDARDS AND WARM ENOUGH TO BE THE EIGHTH WARMEST FEBRUARY IN THE LAST 40 YEARS.

THERE WAS A LOT OF WEATHER VARIETY...WITH SIX DAYS IN THE 30S BALANCED BY SIX DAYS IN THE 60S AND EVEN TWO DAYS IN THE 70S. TWO DAYS WITH SMALL AMOUNTS OF SNOW WERE BALANCED BY HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ON THE NIGHT OF THE 27TH. THE MONTH DISPLAYED WEATHER FROM BOTH THE ENDING WINTER AND STARTING SPRING SEASONS.

PRECIPITATION WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL WITH JUST OVER TWO INCHES OF LIQUID. A SIZEABLE PORTION OF THAT FELL WITH THE HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ON THE NIGHT OF THE 27TH /0.78"/. SNOWFALL WAS ALSO WELL BELOW NORMAL WITH ONLY A FRACTION OF AN INCH DURING THE COURSE OF THE MONTH.  THERE WERE NO NEW RECORDS IN FEBRUARY AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT.

Blacksburg - From NWS BCB: AS WHAT OCCURRED ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA...THE NEW RIVER VALLEY FOLLOWED SUITE. WARM WAS THE WORD FOR BLACKSBURG. THE MONTH STARTED OUT LIKE THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS OF
JANUARY WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THIS COLD SPELL CONTINUED UNTIL COMING TO A HALT ON THE 6TH. AS THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY MARCHED ON...AND EACH DAY PASSING WITH INCREASED DAYLIGHT...ONLY ONE DAY SLIPPED BELOW THE TREND...THAT WAS ON THE 20TH WITH ONLY A 2 DEGREES BELOW THE MEAN. THEN FROM THE 21ST THROUGH THE END OF THE
MONTH...TEMPERATURES STAYED WAY ABOVE A TYPICAL FEBRUARY. THE WARMEST DAY OF THE MONTH WAS THE 25TH. A MAXIMUM OF 73 DEGREES OCCURRED...WHICH WAS  A NEW RECORD HIGH FOR THE DATE. THE OLD RECORD WAS 71 DEGREES WHICH WAS SET IN 1985. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED FOR FEBRUARY 2000 WAS 12 DEGREES...WHICH OCCURRED ON THE FROSTY MORNING OF THE 3RD.  PRECIPITATION FOR BLACKSBURG WAS 2.21 INCHES FOR THE MONTH...WHICH IS 0.90 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR FEBRUARY BEING 3.11 INCHES. SNOWFALL WAS RATHER LIGHT FOR A TYPICAL BLACKSBURG
FEBRUARY...WITH ONLY 0.9 OF AN INCH MEASURED FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH.

Bridgewater -   The average temperature was 6.5 degrees above normal, and the precipitation was .98 inches below normal. Snowfall was much below normal for February.  Precipitaion for the year is also much below normal. There were no major storms during February.  Weatherwise, the month was quite boring! - from Clayton

Centerville - Paul noted his monthly high and low barometer readings occurred with 72 hours and he didn't feel strange during the time!  He also notes that it's likely becuase he is just strange all the time!!  The average daily high was 7^o above normal with night temperaturees 8.2^o  above the 22.3^o norm.  Although his site had 78% of the normal precip, most of that was from rain with only 0.3" of the 6.3" average February snowfall.

Falls Church - Erica writes: "February 2000 saw 2 thunderstorm days which is quite unusual for this area.  This month was warmer than average but below normal in both rainfall and snowfall."

Erica adds a further note about the WRC-NBC4 newsletter at the previous address cited here the last two months.  In order to read the newsletter, you'll have to download Adobe Acrobat Reader if you haven't already done so.    The Team Weathernet articles are located at:  http://www.nbc4.com .  "On Weathernet4....go to Community and Education...we now have Team Weathernet added so it's easier to get to."

Fredericksburg - The first few days were February-like, but much of the last 2/3 of the month was much warmer than normal. - Ken

Hampton - Dave reports: "A mild and dry February.  Monthly average temps were 5^o above normal with precipitation 2.25" inches below normal. No major storms, although snow from January remained around until the 10th of February.  No monthly station records tied or broken."

Herndon -  Russ announces he's added weather data for his site!  Locate it at:  http://users.erols.com/rtopping/wxstation/wx.htm
He adds: "La Nina weather patterns took over again. We had little snow and above average temperatures. The month ended with high temps close to records on the 24th and 25th and a low temp above the normal daily high on the 25th. Precipitation averaged almost an inch below normal."

Lynchburg - From NWS BCB:  FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY...TEMPERATURES WERE ON THE WARM SIDE FOR TYPICAL TEMPERATURES THAT ARE NORMAL...FOR THIS TIME OF SEASON.  THE MONTH STARTED OUT COLD. TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW NORMAL SINCE
THE 18TH OF JANUARY. THIS TREND CONTINUED UNTIL FEBRUARY 7 WHEN TEMPERATURES FINALLY SLIPPED TO ABOVE THE NORMALS. THIS WARMING TREND CONTINUED UNTIL THE 13TH...BUT BY THE 14TH...THE NEXT DAY TEMPERATURES AGAIN SURGED TO THE PLUS SIDE...THIS CONTINUED UNTIL  THE 20TH. AFTER ANOTHER COLDER THAN NORMAL DAY ON THE 21ST...WHICH WAS ONLY 2 DEGREES COLDER THAN NORMAL...THE NEXT DAY...A RAPID SPRINGLIKE PERIOD COMMENCED FOR THE PIEDMONT. THIS BALMY PERIOD TOOK
US THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH. DAYTIME HIGHS FROM THE 23RD UNTIL  THE END OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY WERE IN THE 60S AND 70S...WITH THE MONTHLY MAXIMUM OCCURRING ON THE 25TH WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 79 DEGREES. THE COLDEST DAY OF THE MONTH OCCURRED AS DAWN BROKE ON THE FIRST DAY OF FEBRUARY...WITH A MORNING LOW OF 13 DEGREES.  PRECIPITATION AT LYNCHBURG WAS BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. 1.84 INCHES OF RAIN AND SNOW WAS RECORDED. THIS IS 1.32 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. THE NORMAL AMOUNT FOR THE MONTH IS 3.16 INCHES. 1.3 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED FOR FEBRUARY 2000. THIS WAS WAY BELOW THE RECORD SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH WHICH OCCURRED IN 1996. THAT YEAR...19.5 INCHES OF THE WHITE STUFF WAS MEASURED.

Portsmouth - MONTHLY STATION RECORDS:  New daily max wind speed: 50 MPH on the 14th ;  New daily max temperature: 74º on the 25th ;  New daily max minimum temperature: 51º  on the 25th ;  New daily max minimum tmperature: 42º  on the 29th ; Tie of daily max temperature: 60º  on the 29th.  The monthly mean temperature was 3.2^o above normal while precip was 38% of normal (-2.11").

Mechanicsville - Glenn noted snow on the 12th mixing with sleet during the afternoon hours.

Roanoke - Wendell reports February was warm, dry , and snowless.  Temps were 5.1^o above normal.  This tied February 1996 for the 3rd warmest February on record.  Rainfall was 1.43" below average and snowfall was 6.4" below average.

Roanoke - NWS BCB notes: THE ROANOKE VALLEY WILL REMEMBER FEBRUARY 2000 AS BEING ON THE WARMER  SIDE...THAN COOL. ONLY 4 DAYS HAD BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH. TWO OF THOSE DAYS OCCURRED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. THE OTHER TWO WERE ON THE 13TH AND 18TH. THE TEMPERATURES WERE WAY ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE LAST TEN DAYS OF THE MONTH...WITH A NEW RECORD DAILY HIGH OF 78 DEGREES ON THE 25TH WHICH ERASED THE OLD
RECORD OF 73 DEGREES WHICH WAS SET IN 1996. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE  RECORDED FOR THE MONTH WAS 23 DEGREES WHICH OCCURRED ON THE MORNINGS OF THE 1ST AND THE 9TH.  PRECIPITATION FOR FEBRUARY 2000 WAS 1.69 INCHES WHICH WAS BELOW NORMAL  FOR THE MONTH WHICH IS 3.16 INCHES...A DEPARTURE OF 1.47 INCHES. SNOWFALL WAS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT...WITH ONLY A TENTH OF AN INCH WHICH FELL ON GROUNDHOG DAY...FEBRUARY 2ND.

Woodstock - This was the second warmest February here in 15 years.  Precip was about average. - notes from Lauck

Vienna - Robert sends these notes on February: "The average temperature for the month was well-above average.  Precip was below average and snowfall was well-below average as was the same for Feb. 1999.  Unusual thunderstorm activity for February  on the 27th.  A record high temperature occurred on the 25th when the temperature reached 77.  This was also the highest February temperature in my 14-year database."

North Carolina:

Asheville - From NWS GSP:  AVL's mean temp was 4.6^o  degrees in excess of the norm while precip was 1.58" below norm.  The average wind speed was 8.0 mph.

Brevard -  "The mean temperature for February, 44.0 degrees, was a little higher than the mean, 42.6 deg., for February, 1990-1999, but less than 45.8 deg.,  for the past five Februarys. The 3.01" of rain compares with a ten-year average of 6.37" and a five-year average of 7.15".  Thus, the month was not unusual temperature-wise, but was drier than usual, indeed nearly setting a new low since my records began in 1990.  My all-time low was 2.24" in 1991. I have commenced recording the prevaling sky cover
using a scale of 0 to 10 (deciles). Readings are taken at 8:00AM, noon and 4:00 pm EST and the average recorded.  Thin clouds, too thin to hide the sun's disc, were not counted.  The average for the month was 4.8. No clouds were seen on seven days, while four days were completely overcast." - Bob

Charlotte - CLT's mean temp was 4.1^o  above normal while precip was 1.25" below the norM.

Greenville-Spartanburg - The mean temperature, according to NWS GSP, was 5.3^o ABOVE the norm while total precip was 2.54" BELOW the norm.

Raleigh - Bob noted a quiet month in comparison to January.  The last of January's snow had melted by February 10th.  The mean temperature was 3.6^o above normal while rainfall was 1.46" below normal.  Bob adds that the NWS home page for Raleigh has some snow depth maps for January at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/rah and are located under the weather summaries section.

Raleigh - NWS RDU reports the monthly mean temp was 3.8^o above the norm while monthly precip was 1.49" below the norm.
A daily record high temperature was set on the 25th with 78^o .

Roxboro - Notes from Merriell: "Except for the first week, February was unseasonably warm with only 57% of normal precipitation.  February is usually the snowiest month for this area, but we have not seen one flake of snow the entire month."

Wilmington - The mean temp (according to NWS ILM) was 4.8^o ABOVE normal while monthly precip was 2.53" BELOW the norm.

South Carolina:

Charleston - High temperatures were very warm in February, an average of 5 degrees above normal of 61 degrees. The highs were below 60 degrees only on the 1st and 2nd of February, with 13 days with maximum temperatures over 70 degrees.  On the 12th,
the high of 72 degrees was only one degree shy of the record for the date (74 set in 1965).  A record high was tied in Charleston on the 25th (77 degrees, originally set in 1949).  Not much rain fell during February, with only 2 days recording measurable rainfall.  There were also 4 days with a trace of rain.  Another notable feature in February was the haze and smoke.  There were 20 days of haze or smoke reported in Charleston, indicative of stagnant high pressure across the region.  Visibility lowered to below 1 mile in smoke at Charleston
International Airport with controlled fires burning southwest of the airport at mid month. - notes from Eleanor

The monthly average temp at CHS was +2.7^o while rainfall was 1.29" BELOW the norm.  The average wind speed was 7.6 mph.

Columbia - NWS CAE reports a monthly mean temp departure of +3.3^o  while total precip was 3.10" below the norm.

Florence - FAA Florence noted a +2.8^o  mean temp departure  while rainfall was 2.73" BELOW  the norm.

Greenville-Spartanburg - The mean temp was  a whopping 5.3^o  in excess of the norm while precip was 2.54" below the norm.  The average wind speed was 6.8 mph. - from NWS GSP

North Myrtle Beach - NWS ILM reports the month's precip was 2.66" BELOW  normal while the mean temp was 1.3^o ABOVE normal.

Ruby - Franklin notes that the month was much warmer and drier than January with very little rain and snow.

Nearby Cities:

The Tri-cities/Bristol area noted a mean temp 5.5^o ABOVE the norm while precip was in 1.57" BELOW the norm.