MUWIC Newsletter - February 2007

(Issued: February 2, 2007)

 

Millersville University Weather Information Center (MUWIC)

Eric J. Horst, Director

 

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – 7th ANNUAL MUWIC OPEN HOUSE

 

You are invited to the 7th Annual Weather Information Center Open House on February 28, 2006. Stop by room 401 Caputo Hall between 6:00 – 8:00pm. We’d enjoy meeting you! Visit our website for information: http://www.atmos.millersville.edu/~wic/html/contact.htm

 

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LEAD STORY: Winter Arrives a Month Late

 

Winter officially began on December 21st, however it wasn’t until January 20th that the first seasonably cold conditions and (light) snow arrived. The first nineteen days of January averaged a remarkable 11 degrees above normal with one record high achieved on January 6th (69 degrees). Still, winter’s delay would not become a denial. A mid-month jet stream pattern change begin a parade of cold fronts our way, and the character of our weather quickly turned to below normal conditions. The last ten days of January averaged 4 degrees below normal, and the low temperature of 9 degrees on January 26th was the coldest reading since December 2005.

 

In terms of snow, the first thin coating (0.2”) arrived on January 21st and another half to one inch fell on the 25th. In aggregate, this small accumulation was seven inches below the January average. But significant snowfall remains a likelihood in February, which is historically the snowiest month in the Lancaster area. See the February Outlook below for a detailed look at the trends for the month ahead.

 

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STAT OF THE MONTH

 

The two-tenths of an inch of snow that fell on January 21st was one of the latest first measurable snowfalls on record here in Lancaster. The latest “first snow” on record is February 4, set in the winter of 1994/1995.

 

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JANUARY CLIMATOLOGY (MU Weather Station)

 

Average High Temp: 42.7 F

Average Low Temp: 28.5 F                                                   

Average Monthly Temp: 35.6 F                                          

(Departure from Normal: +5.5 F)

                                       

Snowfall: 1.0 inch

(Departure from Normal: -7.0 inches)

Total Precipitation (liquid equivalent): 2.33 inches  

(Departure from Normal: -0.68 inches)   

 

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FEBRUARY NORMALS, RECORDS & FACTS

 

Normal high/low temperatures range from 39/21 during the first week of the month to 45/26 by month’s end. The record high for February is 78 degrees (25th in 1930) and the record low is –17 F (7th in 1935). Normal liquid precipitation (rain and melted snow) is 2.47 inches. Average snowfall for the month is about 8.2 inches.

 

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FEBRUARY OUTLOOK

 

The coldest weather of the winter is on tap for the first ten days of February as deep northwest flow delivers multiple shots of Arctic air into the Northeast. Given the dominance of this pattern, there’s little chance of meaningful precipitation outside of lake effect snows and snow showers with each passing Arctic front. Temperatures the first ten days of the month will average 10 to 15 degrees below normal, making for the coldest week in over two years.

 

The week of February 10 – 17th holds some promise for a couple of storm threats. Arctic air will relax its grip on the Northeast, while a return of Pacific energy begins a push across the southern US. Timing is everything in creating a good snowstorm, however, I believe the cards will be on table. Temperatures during this mid-month period will likely return to near normal, and that’s still cold enough for snow and ice given a storm track along the east coast.

 

Beyond that, I believe a cold temperature bias will continue through month’s end, although at nowhere near the magnitude of early month. When it’s all said and done, this will likely be the coldest February since 2003. February is historically the snowiest month of the year in Lancaster, and this will likely be the case this year.

 

COPYRIGHT 2007 Millersville University

 

Published monthly by the Millersville University Weather Information Center.

Subscribe on our homepage at www.atmos.millersville.edu/~wic

 

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