February 2024 Weather Recap: Mild, on the Dry Side

 

 

February 2024 was 4.2 degrees milder than average, becoming New York's 10th mildest February (and the fourth Leap Year February to rank among the 10 mildest Februarys).  Following a January that was 3.3 degrees milder than average, and a December that was +5.5 degrees, these three months produced the fourth mildest meteorological winter on record.  And it followed the third mildest winter last year.

 

Additionally, the number of days completely above freezing this winter, 59, was the second most of any winter.  The most?  Last winter, which had 60 days. (The average number is 36 days.)

 

The month’s coldest and warmest readings occurred three days apart.  The coldest reading, 23° on 2/25, was the mildest coldest reading on record of any February.  (February’s coldest reading is typically in the low teens; last year it was 3°).  The month’s mildest reading, 62°, happened during the night of 2/28.  This was the 14^th February to have this reading as its mildest temperature, tying it with 58° as the most-occurring mildest reading in February.  (Also on the night of the 28th, Central Park clocked a wind gust of 49 mph during the passage of a cold front.)  

 

Not only was the coldest low temperature not very cold, neither was the coldest high.  On average, the coldest high in February is 26°, but this February it was 36°, the mildest coldest high on record.  (Before this year, the mildest coldest high in February was 33°, in 2002, 1998, and 1997.)

 

The month was among the top 20% driest Februarys, with 2.05” of precipitation measured (making it the 31^st driest February).  More than half of the precipitation fell on two days, 0.77” on the 13^th and 0.52” on the 28^th. 

 

The month had 5.2” of snow, which fell on 2/13 (3.2") and 2/17 (2.0").   Of the four weather stations in the metro area, Central Park reported the smallest amount, as 10.4" fell at JFK, Newark had 9.1”, and LGA measured 6.6”.  Although JFK and CPK had comparable amounts of liquid (0.98” and 0.95”, respectively), JFK had twice as much snow.

 

 

Like January, February had one week that was on the cold side (but not quite as cold as January's).  While Feb. 14-20 was two degrees colder than average, the month's other three weeks were six degrees milder than average.

 

Finally, a streak of 22 days with above average mean temperatures ended on 2/13.  Only three other streaks this century have been longer.

 

Here are other February recaps:

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015