Weather

February 2006 Saint Cloud Weather Summary


February Brings Actual Normal Winter Weather

But Not Enough to Stop 9th Warmest Saint Cloud Winter

Saint Cloud Weather Summary for February 2006 and Winter 2005-2006

   During a winter in which winter weather was rare, February provided at least a return to reality. According to the statistics from the Saint Cloud Regional Airport, the average February temperature was 14.5°F (average high of 25.4°F; average low of 3.6°F), 1.5°F colder than normal for February. Overall, the month had about as many above normal days as below normal days.

   The slightly colder than normal February could not make up for a warm December and a record warm January. The average temperature for meteorological winter (Dec. 1 - Jan. 31) was 19.33°F, 6.2°F above normal. This temperature tied 1943-1944 and 1989-1990 for the 9th mildest winter of the 125 winters in Saint Cloud records. Technically, the winter of 1907-1908 also had an average of 19.3°F, but the actual average that year was 19.26°F, slightly colder than the other three. This is also the 6th winter out of the 9 warmer than normal winters that have occurred since 1997 which have placed among the 20 warmest winters in Saint Cloud records (125 winters total). This winter also marked only the 26th winter in which February was the coldest month.

   February's longest period of colder than normal weather occurred during February 15-21. What will be remembered in February was the arctic outbreak of January 16-18. During that period, Saint Cloud spent more than 24 hours with a temperature below zero, including never rising above -10°F during the daylight hours on the 17th. Also, the strong west winds on both the 16th and 17th produced widespread wind chills in the minus 30s and minus 40s in central Minnesota. These wind chills resembled those of the coldest weather outbreaks in recent Saint Cloud history. High temperatures were only 4°F on the 17th and 7°F on the 18th with lows in the teens below zero both days. These were the coldest days of a week during which we had below normal temperatures for 7 straight days.

   However, the winds never really stopped blowing and Saint Cloud had a thin, old snow pack, so the actual temperature did not rival cold outbreaks, even the ones during our mild years. The high temperature never got to zero, so the winter of 2005-2006 has not had a sub-zero high. Since Saint Cloud has never had a March sub-zero high temperature, that means that the winter of 2005-2006 will be the 16th winter out of 125 on record without a sub-zero high temperature. It will also be the third winter of the past 5 during which the high temperature never reached zero. The normal number of days with a high of zero or colder is 4.3 days.

   The low temperature never got colder than -17°F on the 17th, meaning that Saint Cloud is working on the 11th winter without a -20°F low. Only 2001-2002 out of our current mild winter streak made it through the winter without temperatures hitting -20°F. It's not impossible to have a March -20°F low, but it hasn't been that cold since March 1965. The normal number of days with a -20°F low is about 5. Even during the mild winter of last year, January 2005 had a streak of 4 entire days during which the temperature stayed at zero or colder. This period of Jan. 14-17, 2005, also had four straight days with a low of -25 or colder,

  February 2006 did produce frequently cold low temperatures. Only 7 of the 28 days had a low temperature of 10°F or colder, compared to 15 in December and only 3 in January. There were 8 days with lows of zero or colder in February, nearly doubling the pre-February total of 9 days. Through the end of February, Saint Cloud has had only 17 days with a low of zero or colder, which would tie the winter of 1986-1987 for the 6th fewest days of sub-zero lows. An average March would produce about 2 days of sub-zero lows, so the winter of 2005-2006 has a good chance of being the 8th winter since 1997 that has amassed one of the 15 lowest totals of sub-zero days.

  The winter of 2005-2006 in perspective actually ended up being a spring sandwich. Between December 22 and February 3, Saint Cloud had 44 consecutive days of above normal temperatures. That is the second longest streak in Saint Cloud history, trailing only the 51 straight days during the summer of 1900. During our 44 day streak, Saint Cloud average temperature was 26.7°F (average high: 33.2°F; average low 20.2°F), 16.3°F warmer than normal and more than three degrees warmer than any previous winter. The first 21 days of December and the last 25 days of February combined produced an average temperature (12.6°F; average high: 21.9°F; average low 3.3°F) that was more than 14 degrees colder. During the "bread" period of our winter, the average temperature ended up being 3.8°F colder than normal.

On the precipitation front, February was a snowless and dry month. There were 3.7 inches of snowfall in February, three inches below normal. The melted precipitation was 0.20 inch, .39 inch below normal. For the winter of 2005-2006, the total precipitation was 1.40 inches (29th driest of 108 years). The total snowfall for the 2005-2006 cold season through February 28 was 27.2 inches, 8.3 inches below normal. With the early morning snow on March 2, this relatively low snowfall year has now passed the total snowfall (27.2 inches) for the entire cold season of 2004-2005. Looking ahead, only 3 of the past 11 Marches have had below normal snowfall, but one of those brown years was last year when only an inch fell.

February 2006 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
Feb 2006
Normal
Average High Temperature (°F)
25.4
25.7
Average Low Temperature (°F)
3.6
6.4
Mean Temperature for February (°F)
14.5
16.2
February Extremes
Temperature(°F)
Date
Warmest High Temperature for Feb 2006 (°F)
38
Feb. 2nd, 14th
Coldest High Temperature for Feb 2006 (°F)
4
Feb. 17th
Warmest Low Temperature for Feb 2006 (°F)
23
Feb. 1st
Coldest Low Temperature for Feb 2006 (°F)
-17
Feb. 17th
Record Temperatures in February 2006
Temperature(°F)
Date
Old Record
No record temperatures set.
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
February 2006 Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F
23
February 2006 Days with High Temperatures <= 0°F
0
0.8
February 2006 Days with High Temperatures <= -10°F
0
0.5
February 2006 Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F
28
27.8
February 2006 Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F
8
12.2
February 2006 Days with Low Temperatures <= -20°F
0
2.9
February 2006 Days with Low Temperatures <= -30°F
0
0.4
Liquid Equivalent Precipitation (in)
Feb 2006
Normal
February 2006 Saint Cloud Airport Melted Precipitation (in)
0.20
0.62
February 2006 SCSU Melted Precipitation (in)
0.84
0.62
February Extremes
Precipitation (in)
Date
Most Daily Precipitation in February 2005
0.09
Feb. 1st
Record Precipitation in February 2006
Precipitation (in)
Date
Old Record
No precipitation records set
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
February 2006 Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
4
5.7
February 2006 Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
0
2.1
February 2006 Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
0
0.8
February 2006 Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
0
0.3
February 2006 Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
0
0.0
Snowfall (in)
Feb. 2006
Normal
February 2006 Saint Cloud Airport Snowfall (in)
3.7
6.7
2005-2006 Seasonal Saint Cloud Airport Snowfall (1 Oct 2005 - 28 Feb 2006)
27.2
35.5
Snowfall Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
February 2006 Days with Measurable (>= 0.1 inch) Snowfall
6
8.7
February 2006 Days with >= 1.0 inch Snowfall
2
3.7
February 2006 Days with >= 2.0 inch Snowfall
0
1.7
February 2006 Days with >= 5.0 inch Snowfall
0
0.3
February Extremes
Snowfall (in)
Date
Most Daily Snowfall (in) in February 2006
1.5
Feb 1st
Record Snowfall (in) in February 2006
Snowfall (in)
Date
Old Record
No snowfall records set

Winter (Dec 1-Feb 28) 2005-2006 Statistics

Temperatures (°F)
Winter 2005-2006
Normal
Average High Temperature (°F)
27.3
22.5
Average Low Temperature (°F)
11.3
3.6
Mean Temperature for Winter (°F)
19.33**
13.1
**Tied for 9th Warmest Winter in Saint Cloud Records
Temperature Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
Cold Season 2004-2005
Days with High Temperatures <= 32°F
70
Cold Season 2004-2005
Days with High Temperatures <= 0°F
0
4.3
Cold Season 2004-2005
Days with High Temperatures <= -10°F
0
0.6
Cold Season 2004-2005
Days with Low Temperatures <= 32°F
126
170.4
Cold Season 2004-2005
Days with Low Temperatures <= 0°F
17
42.9
Cold Season 2004-2005
Days with Low Temperatures <= -20°F
0
5.4
Cold Season 2004-2005
Days with Low Temperatures <= -30°F
0
0.6
Liquid Equivalent Precipitation (in)
Winter 2005-2006
Normal
Saint Cloud Airport Winter Melted Precipitation (in)
1.40
2.18
Precipitation Thresholds
Number of Days
Normal
Winter 2005-2006
Days with Measurable (>= 0.01 inch) Precipitation
20
19.4
Winter 2004-2005
Days with >= 0.10 inch Precipitation
6
6.5
Winter 2004-2005
Days with >= 0.25 inch Precipitation
1
2.3
Winter 2004-2005
Days with >= 0.50 inch Precipitation
0
0.6
Winter 2004-2005
Days with >= 1.00 inch Precipitation
0
0.0
Snowfall (in)
Winter 2005-2006
Normal
Winter 2005-2006 Snowfall (in)
22.6
26.0
Seasonal Snowfall (in) for Cold Season 2005-2006
27.2
33.3

 

Top 20 Warmest Winters in Saint Cloud Records

20 Warmest Winters (Dec 1 - Feb 28) in Saint Cloud Records

(1881-1882 through 2005-2006)

White background indicates occurrence since 1990
Rank
Winter Average Temperature (°F)
Year

1

23.4°F

2001-2002

2

23.2°F

1881-1882

3

23.0°F

1997-1998

4

22.7°F

1930-1931

5

22.2°F

1986-1987

6

21.5°F

1920-1921

7

20.0°F

1918-1919

8

19.9°F

1982-1983

9(tie)

19.33°F

1907-1908

9(tie)

19.33°F

1943-1944

9(tie)

19.33°F

2005-2006

12

19.26°F

1989-1990

13

19.0°F

1931-1932

14

18.9°F

1941-1942

15

18.6°F

1999-2000

16

18.2°F

1998-1999

17

18.1°F

1891-1892

18(tie)

17.8°F

1890-1891

18(tie)

17.8°F

1913-1914

18(tie)

17.8°F

2004-2005

 

Consecutive Days of Daily Mean Temperature Above Normal
(no zeroes) 1896-2006 at Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Rank

Number of Days

Dates

1

51
July 27-September 15, 1900

2

44

December 22, 2005-February 3, 2006

3

43

June 7-August 19, 1921

4(tie)

42

January 26-March 8, 1987

4(tie)

42

November 4-December 15, 1999

6(tie)

39

November 16-December 24, 1913

6(tie)

39

February 27-April 6, 1973

8(tie)

36

January 11-February 15, 1942

8(tie)

36

December 11, 1954-January 15, 1955

8(tie)

36

November 25-December 30, 1997

8(tie)
36
December 27, 1989-January 31, 1990
12
35
July 8-August 11, 1935
13
34
October 28-November 30, 2001
14(tie)
32
July 10-August 10, 1916
14(tie)
32
December 14, 1986-January 14, 1987
14(tie)
32
May 19-June 19, 1991
14(tie)
32
February 5-March 8, 1998

 

Most Lows <=0°F in one cold season
Least Lows <=0°F in one cold season
Rank
Season
Days
Rank
Season
Days
1 (tie)
1964-1965
69
1
1907-1908
11
1 (tie)
1978-1979
69
2
2001-2002
15
3
1977-1978
68
3 (tie)
1920-1921
16
4 (tie)
1942-1943
67
3 (tie)
1930-1931
16
4 (tie)
1955-1956
67
3 (tie)
1997-1998
16
6
1898-1899
65
6
1986-1987
17
7
1916-1917
64
Nov 2005 - Feb 2006
17
8 (tie)
1935-1936
62
7
1903-1904
20
8 (tie)
1950-1951
62
8
1900-1901
21
10
1947-1948
61
9 (tie)
1918-1919
22
11
1917-1918
58
9 (tie)
1941-1942
22
12 (tie)
1949-1950
57
11
1999-2000
26
12 (tie)
1958-1959
57
12 (tie)
2003-2004
27
12 (tie)
1976-1977
57
12 (tie)
2004-2005
27
      4 Tied with 29, including 1998-1999

Saint Cloud Airport and SCSU Cold Season Snowfall 2005-2006

Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar April May June Total
2004-2005
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.2
2.0
15.0
8.9
1.0
0.1
0.0
27.2
2005-2006
0.0
0.0
0.0
4.6
15.1
3.8
3.7
1.5
     
28.7
30-Year-Normals
(1971-2000)
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.6
8.9
7.8
11.5
6.7
8.5
2.6
0.1
0.0
45.8
Historic Averages
(1899-2005)
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.7
6.2
7.2
9.1
7.2
8.3
2.6
0.1
0.0
41.6

 

 

Historic temperature data provided courtesy of the Saint Cloud National Weather Service Office, and NOAA/NWS
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Send comments to: raweisman@stcloudstate.edu