State of the Climate
Snow & Ice
February 2007

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Climatic Data Center

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daily animation of Northern Hemisphere snow cover from the month

Northern Hemisphere Animation Loop

daily animation of U.S.snow cover from the month

National Animation Loop

The two satellite-derived animations above show the daily snow cover across the Northern Hemisphere (left map) and North America (right map) throughout February 2007. By clicking on the images, the change in sea-ice extent across parts of the Arctic can be seen through the month as well as several significant snowfall events across the U.S.

Several snow storms hit the Plains, Midwest, and Northeast in February. A complex, wide-reaching winter storm moved from the Mid-Mississippi Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and New England February 14 and 15. This storm ranked as a Category 3 event on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS). The heaviest snow fell in interior regions of the Northeast where amounts over 20 inches were widespread. Additional information on this event is available from the National Weather Service State College PA Forecast office.
This event was preceded by a 10-day lake effect storm that dumped more than 100 inches of snow on New York's Tug Hill Plateau. A total of 141 inches was reported at Redfield in Oswego County. Additional information on lake effect snow events is available.
Two winter storms coming within a week struck the Upper Midwest in late February and early March. Heavy snowfall with record-breaking amounts in some locations occurred from February 23 through March 2.
Beneficial snows fell in the Sierras of California and the Great Basin Ranges in late February and early March, but the winter as a whole remained much drier than average.

More information on significant winter weather and other hazards can be found on NCDC's Hazards page.

Map of monthly snow pack percent of average

larger image
Image courtesy of the
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service

The map to the left depicts percent of average snowpack in the West and Alaska as of March 1st. Regions showing a surplus in snow water equivalent (SWE) totals are over the Northern Cascades and the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado and New Mexico. During the last week of February, snowfall was significant over the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin ranges. Snowfall amount increases ranged from over three feet in parts of the Sierras and Cascades to less than one foot over the eastern slope of the Rockies. Snow cover actually decreased over Arizona and most of New Mexico. Extreme variations in snowpack levels exist across Alaska, with the highest values occuring in the southeast portion of the state.

Questions?

For questions on technical or scientific content of this report, please contact:

Jake Crouch:
Jake.Crouch@noaa.gov

For general climate monitoring questions, please contact:

CMB.Contact@noaa.gov

For climate data orders, please contact the National Climatic Data Center's Climate Services and Monitoring Division:

NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov

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State of the ClimateSnow & IceFebruary 2007

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Climatic Data Center

Questions?

State of the Climate
Snow & Ice
February 2007