February 2020 was warmer and a bit wetter than normal. My maximum temperature average (48.8°) was 4.0° above normal but my minimum temperature average (33.1°) was more significantly above normal (+6.3°), resulting in the mean temperature average of 40.9° to be 5.1° above normal. My total precipitation of 3.27″ was 0.52” above the normal February value for my station of 2.75”. There were 12 days with
measurable precipitation, all of which occurred between the 1st – 13th (2.37”) and 25th – 27th (0.90”). Unfortunately no snow fell during the entire month.

There were three short moderately cold spells during the month, (14-15, 20-22, and 27-29). “Leap year day” (29) turned out to have our coldest max of the month (34°) with the coldest min of 19.6° recorded 2 weeks earlier on the 15th. Two notable but brief high temperature periods occurred during the month, with the two highest values of the month logged on the 3rd (68.3°) and the 4th (66.6°) The two other days with maxes in the lower 60s occurred on the 23rd and 24th at the end of the
month’s longest dry spell (11 days – beginning on the 14th).

The most remarkable weather day of the month was on the 7th. Combined with the 0.67” of rain on the 6th, the two day period of the 6th and 7th (1.06”) was the wettest 2 day period of the month. Early on the morning of the 7th, severe weather developed quickly and amazingly enough tornado warnings were issued for my regional area for numerous tornadoes on the ground within 40 miles of my apartment. A total of 5 made damaging F0-F2 landfall scattered about central Maryland during that fateful morning. The storm stuck with high winds (around 50 MPH) and heavy rains starting around 0745. Another amazing occurrence was the rapid fall in the
barometric pressure, dropping down to 28.91” at 0741, the lowest reading of the month, year, and what I have had here at my apartment since I moved in and established my station in January 2017.

The highest dew point temperature reached during the month was 56°, also on that busy 7th day of the month. The lowest dew point temperature value was reached on the 22nd with a 6° reading, during one of the three brief cold periods of the month.

February had 6 cloudy days, 12 partly cloudy days, and 11 clear/sunny days. There were 633 heating degree days and no cooling degree days during the month. There were 7 foggy days, 10 windy days, and 0 days with snow. The peak wind gust noted from across the street at the USG gauge during February was 53 MPH from the NW on that incredible 7th day of the month.

My maximum temperature frequencies included 4 days between 60° and 69°, 12 days between 50° and 59°, 9 days between 40° and 49°, and 4 days below 40°. On the minimum temperature frequency side of things, there were 12 days 30° or below, 9 days between 31° and 39°, 7 days between 40° and 49°, and 1 day of 50° or above. The coldest daily max temperature day was 34.0° on the 29th while the warmest daily min temp day of 52.8° was reached on the 4th.

The diurnal range daily monthly average was only 14.1° (- 2.3°). Our greatest daily range of temperature was 33.9° on the 23rd (60.5°- 26.6°). We only had a total of 7 days with daily ranges above 20°. Our lowest range of temperature was 5.3° on both the 25th (50.5°- 45.2°) and the colder 29th (34.0°- 28.7°). There were 8 days with
diurnal temperature ranges of less than 10° during the month, double the 4 recorded in January.

February 2020 finished up a virtually snowless and quite mild 2019-2020
meteorological winter period. My meager seasonal snowfall of 3.0″ was quite depressing and probably about 20-25% of normal, and with what looks like a snowless March, a rather bare-ground winter. There never was any real ice formation on local ponds. My new Davis Vantage Vue console has yet to be made operational, but I have been using Marty’s spare VP2 console to do the trick so far. Marty has resolved a possible glitch in the Vue console, and we are waiting to get together to set that
up, along with my new Dell computer, which needs to get my Thunderbird email program to be loaded onto. I am not sure where we all can find the time to do all this and much more, especially with this current coronavirus pendemic we are under.

Below is link for the excel spreadsheet data file for my station for February: 

2020-02 Rockville 2.8 WNW PDF

FEBRUARY 2020 – ROCKVILLE 2.8 WNW MARYLAND – SUMMARY STATISTICS

Average high temperature 48.8° (+4.0°)
Average low temperature 33.1° (+ 6.3°)
Mean temperature 40.9° (+5.1°)

Precipitation 3.27″ (+0.52“)
Greatest daily amount (date) 0.67″ (6)
Greatest storm total (dates) 1.17” (4-7)
2020 year-to-date precipitation total 6.44″ (+0.78”)

Total monthly snowfall 0.0”
Seasonal snowfall 3.0”

High temperature for the month (date) 68.3° (3)
Low temperature for the month (date) 19.6° (15)

Highest barometric pressure (date) 30.66” (15)
Lowest barometric pressure (date) 28.91” (7)

Peak wind gust (date/direction): 53 (7/NW) (USG data across the street)

Heating degree days for the month: 633
Cooling degree days for the month: 0

Greatest diurnal range (date): 33.9° (23)
Least diurnal range (date) 5.3° (25,29)

Number of days:

Fog 7
Windy 10 (PWG => 30 MPH)
Snow 0
Sleet/Glaze 0
Cloudy 10
Partly Cloudy 13
Sunny/Clear 6
Max temp => 60° 4
Min temp <= 32° 14
Max temp <= 32° 0
Precip = 0.01” 12

Today’s featured image is of yours truly taken on April 2, 2020 with my current VP2 weather station. 

Shown below is a same day picture of my 4″ cocorahs rain gauge across the street from my apartment building.