How did you spend your February? Was it by a fire to keep away from the cold? Constantly having to scrape your car off or shovel your driveway due to the snow? Or did you spend it outdoors in shorts? For many, the latter scenario was probably much closer to reality than the former one. This February was characterized by warm weather it was very warm, but how warm exactly was it? How did we fare for snow? And what could March have in store?
We know February was warm, but exactly how warm is quite a feat. Officially, Omaha had its third warmest February on record with an average temperature of 39.3 degrees. It narrowly fell below the two warmest Februarys of 1954 and 1930 by about a degree. There were only three days the whole month that were below average, with more highs in the 60s than in the 30s. Omaha saw 9 days reach 60 degrees during the month, the most 60s seen in February. Then finally there was the 80-degree day last Monday, which is the warmest February temperature ever recorded in Omaha. One final statistic, the average temperature for March is 41 degrees, meaning that this February was almost like what Omaha experienced in March!
Unsurprisingly, the record warmth in Omaha came with a significant lack of snow. For the entire month, Omaha received 0.8" of snow, which is around 7" below average for the entire month. This is the 10th least snowy February on record for Omaha. It wasn't just snow, it was just an incredibly dry month overall. Omaha received 0.1" of precipitation for the whole month, the average for February is 0.95" of precipitation. This makes it the 6th driest February in Omaha.
Of course, the dry month did not help in the drought situation. Moderate to severe drought continues across much of the KMTV viewing area. The latest outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show that the drought is expected to persist at least into March, partly due to the dry February.
So, what can March bring? Typically, March is our transition month from winter to spring, but to many, it has already felt like Spring. Even nature is confused, as insects have been hatching, birds returning to the region, and some flowers/trees are beginning to bloom. However, March is still a winter month with cold snaps and big snowstorms. Some of our largest snowstorms in Omaha history have occurred in March. It is also the month when we begin to think about severe weather, as March is sometimes the start of tornado season in the Plains. Like snowstorms, some of our most devastating tornadoes have occurred in March.
How about March 2024? The Climate Prediction Center is expecting that the warm weather we saw in February could persist into March. As well, a return to a more active weather pattern is possible too, with wetter than average conditions possible over parts of Nebraska and Iowa.
These are just broad outlooks, for day-by-day forecasts, stick with the KMTV Weather Alert Team for your forecast!
