Maps and Graphics:


February Most Recent 3 Months Most Recent 6 Months
Most Recent 12 Months Year-to-Date US Percent Area Very Wet/Dry/Warm/Cold
Annual Summary for 2006

PLEASE NOTE: All temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Once available, graphics based on final data will be provided on the Climate Monitoring Products page.


For graphics covering periods other than those mentioned above or for tables of national, regional, and statewide data from 1895-present, for February, last 3 months or other periods, please go to the Climate At A Glance page.

National Overview:


February and Winter
  • The December 2006-February 2007 winter season was marked by periods of unusually warm and cold conditions in the U.S., but the overall seasonal temperature was near average.

  • The winter season got off to a late start in much of the country. December was the 11th warmest such month on record (based on revised data), and spring-like temperatures covered much of the eastern half of the nation during the first half of January.

  • The warmer-than-average seasonal temperatures in the more heavily populated regions of the Midwest and East helped reduce residential energy needs for the nation as a whole for the winter season. Using NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), it was determined that the nation's residential energy demand was approximately 3 percent lower than what would have occurred under average climate conditions for the season.

  • Seasonal energy demand would have been lower if not for February's colder temperatures. For the month, temperature-related residential energy demand was approximately 6 percent higher than what would have occurred under average climate conditions for February.

  • February was among the third coldest in the 113-year record for the contiguous U.S. Thirty-six states in the eastern two-thirds of the nation were cooler than average, while Texas and the eleven states of the West were near average to warmer than average.

  • Winter season precipitation was above average in the central U.S. from the Upper Midwest to New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. Drier-than-average conditions stretched from the Deep South to Kentucky, the Mid-Atlantic, and along the Northeast Seaboard states. Much of the West was also drier than average.

  • Through early March, water-year precipitation in Los Angeles was the lowest on record, less than 25% of normal.

  • 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.

  • 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 snowfall during the 2006-2007 winter season is available

  • For February, precipitation was below average in the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest regions. For the Southern Region, the 9th driest February on record followed two wetter-than-average months.

For information on local temperature and precipitation records during the month of February, please visit NCDC's Extremes page.

  • Across the United States, extreme drought conditions were observed in areas of Wyoming and Nebraska, as well as northern Minnesota and parts of Texas. Exceptional drought was limited to areas of south Texas. For more information on drought during February, please visit the U.S. Drought page.

  • El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions have transitioned from ENSO-warm phase to ENSO-neutral by the end of February. Current forecasts indicate that a transition from ENSO-neutral conditions to La Niña could occur over the next 3 months. For additional information on ENSO conditions, please visit the NCDC ENSO Monitoring page and the latest NOAA ENSO Advisory.
For additional details, see the Monthly and Seasonal Highlights section below and visit the February Climate Summary page. For details and graphics on weather events across the U.S. and the globe please visit NCDC's Global Hazards page.

Monthly and Seasonal Highlights:


Contiguous U.S.:

For additional national, regional, and statewide data and graphics from 1895-present, for February, the last 3 months or other periods, please visit the Climate At A Glance page.
  • February Temperature: 34th coldest February in the 1895-2007 record.  The preliminary nationally averaged temperature was 32.86°F (0.48°C), which was 1.84°F (1.02°C) below the 1901-2000 (20th century) mean.

  • February Precipitation: 16th driest nationally in the 1895-2007 record. An average of 1.56 inches (40 mm) fell over the contiguous U.S. in February, 0.46 inches (12 mm) below the 20th century mean for the month.

  • December - February (winter) Temperature: 45th warmest in the 1895-to-present record, 0.63°F (0.35°C) above the 20th century mean. The preliminary nationally averaged December - February temperature was 33.63°F (0.91°C).

  • December - February (winter) Precipitation: A total of 6.24 inches (159 mm) of precipitation fell during this 3-month period, which corresponds to a ranking of 47th driest.

  • September - February (6-month): The national average temperature was the 57th coldest for this 6-month period. The nationally-averaged temperature was 43.71°F (6.51°C), which was 0.09°F (0.05°C) above the 20th century mean. At 14.25 inches (362 mm), September - February precipitation was above average and ranked as the 30th wettest such period in the 1895-2007 record.

  • January to February (Year-to-date): The 42nd coldest January-February on record. The nationally averaged year-to-date temperature was 32.13°F (0.07°C), or 0.65°F (0.36°C) below the mean. The year-to-date period was the 21st driest January-February in the 113-year record, receiving a national average of 3.70 inches (94 mm) of precipitation during the period, or 0.54 inches (14 mm) below the 20th century mean.

  • March 2006 - February 2007: The 13th warmest such period in the 1895-2007 record.  The preliminary nationally-averaged annual temperature was 53.94°F (12.19°C), which was 1.14°F (0.64°C) above the mean. Precipitation was near the mean for the March 2006 - February 2007 period, ranking it as the 50th driest March - February in the 112-year record.  The nationally-averaged annual precipitation accumulation was 29.17 inches (741 mm), or 0.03 inches (1 mm) above the 20th century mean.

Alaska:
  • February Temperature: 42nd warmest on record (1918-2007) for February with temperatures 1.4°F (0.8°C) above the 1971-2000 mean.

  • December-February Temperature: 28th warmest on record (1918-2007) for the 3-month period (December - February) with temperatures 1.4°F (0.8°C) above the 1971-2000 mean.

Other Statewide and Regional Highlights:
  • February precipitation across Montana was 6th wettest on record. Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee were the 6th, 7th, and 8th driest on record, respectively.

  • December - February temperatures across Delaware and New Jersey ranked 13th warmest on record. Four states, including Texas and New Mexico were below average for the period. Nebraska and Kansas tied for second wettest, while Tennessee was 6th driest.

  • In the South and Southwest regions, December - February temperatures were below average.

  • Temperatures over the past 6-months (September - February) were above average in the Northeast and the East North Central regions. Precipitation for the period was near to above average in all regions except the West .

  • September - February temperatures were much above average for three states, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. Seven states were below average for the period, including Colorado and New Mexico. Colorado and Indiana ranked 3rd wettest for September - February. California experienced its 11th driest such period on record.

  • During the Year-to-Date period (January-February), temperatures were below average across 16 states in the central U.S. Only two states (Delaware and New Jersey) had temperatures above average during this period. All other states reported near-average temperatures. Alabama, Tennessee and Rhode Island each had their 10th driest such period on record. Eleven additional states, from the Southwest to the Great Lakes and into parts of the Northeast experienced above average precipitation during this period.

  • January-February temperatures across the Southwest, South and Central regions were below average. Every other region was near average during this period. The Northwest, West and Southeast regions experienced below average precipitation during the year-to-date period.

  • March 2006 - February 2007 was warmer or much-warmer-than-average for 37 states, including New Jersey. Indiana was record wettest for the period.

See NCDC's Monthly Extremes web-page for weather and climate records for the month of February.


PLEASE NOTE: All of the temperature and precipitation ranks and values are based on preliminary data.  The ranks will change when the final data are processed, but will not be replaced on these pages.  Graphics based on final data are available on the Climate Monitoring Products page.

Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Monthly National Climate Report for February 2007, published online March 2007, retrieved on March 19, 2024 from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/200702.