Weather

Spring sneaks in and the coast dries up in February – North Carolina State Climatic Office


The cold of January has given way to Warm like spring in February, while arid conditions prevail across eastern North Carolina. We also consider weather like the wind said.

A Fling with Spring

If January sees The sudden appearance of Old Man Winter, then in February, he backed one foot out the door. The weather was warmer again last month, and according to the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), the preliminary average statewide temperature is 45.7°F ranked as ours February 24 is the warmest since 1895.

In the Coastal Plain, the average temperature is 2 to 4 degrees higher than normal. Hatteras was recorded on February 13 the warmest in 123 years, and Plymouth tied to the 11th warmest since 1945.

Driving those departures are some warm, not winter-like afternoons. In Raleighwhere the normal high for February is 55.8°F, the maximum has climbed to 60 degrees or 16 times higher than the previous month.

February 2022 temperature summary infographic, highlighting average monthly temperatures, difference from normal, and comparison with history and recent years

Wilmington topped 70 degrees for ten days and even hit 80 twice. That puts 2022 into a similar company to recent years with an early spring. Five of the past six February in Port City have had at least nine days with a temperature of 70°F or higher.

Even the mountains get into spring-like weather. On the 24th of February, Asheville had a peak temperature of 73°F, making it the sixth consecutive month there with a temperature of 70 degrees observed. Those warm days have seen budding shoots and daffodils bloom unusually early in the year.

Of course, what goes up must also go down, and that also applies to the previous month’s temperature. A series of strong cold fronts coming in from the west helped lower our temperatures overnight. Asheville has twice dropped 22 degrees in high temperature from day to day: first on February 4 and 5 (from 59°F to 37°F), then again on February 12 and 13 (from 62°F to 40°F).

The temperature was cold enough after that mid-month front to support Snow falling in the mountains. Maybe it’s just Old Man Winter’s knock, reminding us that he hasn’t set off yet.

Dry in the east

After a January is wet and snowy, drier conditions fell to much of the state last month. The NCEI reports a statewide preliminary average rainfall of 2.47 inches and ours February 31 is the driest in the past 128 years.

The monthly precipitation map shows a marked slope from west to east, as those crossing the frigid fronts were shunted out of the mountains, then bringing with them limited rainfall by the time they arrived. Coast.

After the beginning of the dry winter, Plateau in southern Macon County recorded 13.10 inches and the 8th wettest February since 1893. At 5.13 inches, Hickory almost 2 inches higher than normal February rainfall.

It is also not liquid, as parts of the western Piedmont and Foothills have light cold rain on February 7, though ice accumulation and limited impacts.

A summary infographic of February 2022 precipitation, highlighting average monthly temperatures, departures from normal, and comparison with history and recent years

Farther east, rainfall of any kind is highly unlikely. New Bern totaling just an inch all month for the driest February in 69 years. It’s a similar story in Washingtonwith just 1.11 inches and the record for the driest February.

While sustained moisture from January storms has prevented any rapid decline, Moderate Drought (D1) has extended over Southern Coastal Plains and unusually Dry conditions. usually (D0) now covers parts of the North and Central coasts after the dry February there.

The good news from February is that western North Carolina has received much-needed relief, with plenty of downpours alleviating stubborn dryness that’s been around since last fall. As a result, the drought has disappeared west of the Piedmont and north of the Foothills, and the southern and central mountain ranges have seen a drier thanks to recent rains.

Comparison of drought maps from February 1 and 22, 2022, in North Carolina
US Drought Monitor maps from February 1 (left) and February 22 (right) for North Carolina.

A Wind-ow to the World

The winds of change took effect as we moved from cold January to spring-like February. We improved and relaunched recently Wind Rose ToolDeveloped in collaboration with the NC Air Quality Department, it offers a unique view of wind and weather over the past month.

Wind patterns at this time of year are quite variable statewide, depending on large-scale features such as the weather systems moving through and the atmospheric currents that drive them, along with local features such as topographic.

That is especially evident in the mountains. Our southern slopes such as Spring Mountain Wine tend to watch more west or southwest wind in February compared to northern localities like Laurel Springswinds prevail in the northwest direction.

Last month, the spring breeze of wine generally suitable for that climate, but in Laurel Springs, southerly winds are much more common, reflecting our warmer weather patterns. In fact, the average temperature of 38.1°F at our Laurel Springs ECONet station was nearly two degrees above its historic February average.

A pair of wind rose plots for Laurel Springs showing February climate conditions and conditions observed in February 2022
Wind rose graphs for Laurel Springs show February climate conditions since 2000 (left) and February 2022 (right).

In Piedmont, winds in February typically originate in the Southwest, matching a carousel-like pattern in which weather systems traverse the state. In Raleighcomponents in the southwest and south-southwest were even more common last month, and they were also the source of the strongest winds in a year. cold aisle on February 17-18.

In that event, wind gusts over 40 mph measured on Piedmont, and increased risk of fire due to windy weather and low humidity.

A pair of wind rose charts for Raleigh showing February climate conditions and conditions observed in February 2022
Wind rose graphs for Raleigh show February climate conditions since 1948 (left) and February 2022 (right).

The coast has its own unique winter wind regime. Elizabeth City We see strong winds in February from the north, west and south-southwest. Last month had a similar frequency of northerly winds, but more southerly and less westerly than the climate predicted.

That’s because our often cold fronts help limit winds that are mostly north or south with little time in between. For example, the southeast wind ahead of the front on February 13 was replaced by strong northerly winds more than 25 mph behind it.

A pair of wind rose plots for the City of Elizabeth showing February climate conditions and conditions observed in February 2022
The Wind rose chart for the City of Elizabeth shows February climate conditions since 1998 (left) and February 2022 (right).

For more historical wind data and recent conditions in your area, be sure to explore Wind Rose Tool. With powerful plots just a few clicks away, trust us when we say it’s a breeze!





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