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FebruaryWeather Events: Canada | United States | WorldQuote of the Month
Significant Weather EventsCanada31 January to 9 February 1947, Saskatchewan: Memorable blizzard in Saskatchewan. All highways into Regina are blocked. Railway officials declare worst conditions in Canadian rail history. Train is buried in a snowdrift one kilometre (0.6 mile) long and eight metres (36.7 ft) deep. 1 February 1955, Sisson Dam, New Brunswick: New Brunswick's coldest recorded temperature: -47.2° C (-53° F). 1-2 February 1992, Moncton, New Brunswick: A major winter storm blasts the Maritimes dumping 60-90 cm (2-3 feet) of snow across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Moncton registers 163.7 cm (64 inches) of snow setting their all time single storm record. 1-3 February 1916, Victoria, British Columbia: . Thirty-eight hour snowstorm shuts down city under 78.3 cm (30.8 in) of white. Strong northerly winds pile the snow into three-metre (9.8 ft) drifts. 2 February 1989, Dawson, Yukon Territory: Highest sea-level pressure ever recorded in Canada: 107.96 kPa (31.88 inches Hg). 2 February 1976, Saint John, New Brunswick: Groundhog Day Storm, one of the fiercest Maritimes storms ever batters Bay of Fundy region with winds clocked at 188 km/h (118 mph), generating 12-m (39 ft) waves with swells of 10 m (32.5 ft). 2 February 2002, Ottawa, Ontario: Ottawa's Rideau Canal, renowned as the world's longest skating rink, finally opens, its latest opening date ever. For most of the winter the Canal has been a stretch of slush and puddles for most of the winter. It will be the shortest skating season ever: 25 days. 2 February 2003, New Brunswick: Freezing rain begins in New Brunswick causing thousands of power outages. Initial estimates indicated the storm costs New Brunswick Power between $3-6 million (CAN) in damage repair. A power company spokesman calls the ice storm the worst in the utility's history, eclipsing the 1998 ice storm in New Brunswick. 3 February 1947, Snag, Yukon Territory: Temperature drops to minus 63° C (minus 81.4° F), North America's lowest recorded official temperature, capping week of intense cold in the Yukon. 4 February 1878, Montreal, Quebec: White and shivering describe the day in Montreal as 40 cm (16 inches) of snow are followed by temperature dropping to -21.1° C (-6° F). 4 February 1893, Calgary, Alberta: Calgary's coldest day sees temperature dropping to -45° C (-49° F). 5 February 1997, Colchester, Ontario: High winds push mountains of ice against the northern shore of Lake Erie crushing several houses and cottages in Colchester. 5 February 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Winnipeg's temperature plummets to -42.2° C (-44° F), the city's coldest day in 31 years. Wind chill values drop below -50 freezing exposed flesh in less than two minutes. 6 February 2001, New Brunswick: A winter storm dropps 30 to 60 cm of snow across New Brunswick. Bathurst records 45 cm (17.7 inches) of snow and Charlo receives 49 cm (19.3 inches). 6-8 February 1885, Nova Scotia: A severe blizzard buries parts of the Province under 40 cm (15.7 inches) of snow. Rain traffic is disrupted as only trains with snowplows attached are able to push through. 7 February 1943, Medicine Hat, Alberta: Medicine Hat sets the February record for the greatest one-day precipitation with a total of 27.9 mm (1.1 inches). 8-18 February 1979, Iqaluit, Northwest Territories: Temperatures drop to –40° C (-40° F) with winds of 100 km/hour (62 mph) blow and drift the snow around the community, as blizzard forces residents to stay indoors for ten days. 9 February 1899, Norway House, Manitoba: Temperature drops to minus 52.8° C (minus 63° F) to set the province's record for lowest temperature. 10 February 1987, St John's, Newfoundland: A few days after the year's biggest blizzard dumps 30 cm (12 inches) of snow on St John's, a section of a mall roof collapses under the weight of snow on the roof. Seven are injured but none seriously. 10 February 2004, Regina, Saskatchewan: Blizzard conditions and whiteouts under winds gusting to 85 km/h (52 mph). contribute to a multi-vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Regina. The spectacular 50-vehicle pileup causes many injuries but no deaths. 11 February 1999, Tahtsa Lake, British Columbia: Canada's snowiest day is recorded as Tahtsa Lake located in the Whitesail Range of the Coast Mountains receives 145 cm (57 inches) of snow. 12 February 1934, Calgary, Alberta: Temperatures climbs to 18.9 ° C (66° F) in Calgary, the warmest February day to date. 13 February 1923, House River and Fort McMurry, Alberta: Morning temperature drops to -50° C (-58° F). 14-16 February 1988, Iqaluit, Northwest Territories: A blizzard dumps 20 cm (8 inches) of snow on Iqaluit. Gusty winds exceeding 100 km/h (50 mph) produces drifting that reaches building second floors. 15 February 1990, Vancouver, British Columbia: Heavy snow is uncommon in Vancouver, but on this date, residents had to cope with 14 cm (5.5 inches) of wet snow. The moisture-laden snow disrupted traffic and caused school closures. 15-17 February 2003, Badger, Newfoundland: The Exploits, Red Indian and Badger rivers flood the town as ice jams give way on the 15th. This is followed by extremely cold temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F) which freeze the floodwaters encasing cars, snowmobiles and some homes in ice. Most of Badger's 1,100 residents are evacuated. 16 February 1959, Newfoundland: Five meter (16.7 ft) drifts form during blizzard across The Rock. Six die and 70,000 left without power. 17 February 1974, Lakelse Lake, British Columbia:Record snowfall at Lakelse Lake as 118.1 cm (46.5 inches) falls over 24 hours. Record stands for quarter century as Canada's greatest 24 hour snowfall on record. (see 11 February 1999 above). 18 February 1966, Winnipeg, Manitoba: Temperature drops to minus 45° C (-49° F), the city's lowest recorded temperature. 19 February 1972, Southwestern Quebec: A blizzard smacks southwestern Quebec with 80km/h (50 mph) winds and deposits 37cm (14.6 inches) of snow. 19-20 February 2004, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island: A super weather bomb Nor'easter strikes Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Snow accumulates to nearly a metre (3.3 ft). Blowing and drifting snow under winds gusting to 100 km/h (62 mph) halts all transportation including snowplows, cuts power, and closes schools and businesses. Nova Scotia issues first "Code Black" emergency measures in history. 20 February 1974, Bonilla Island, British Columbia: The mean wind spead hits 143km/h (89 mph), the highest sustained speed on record in British Columbia. 22-27 February 1982, Prince Edward Island: Five-day blizzard strands Islanders. Winds exceed 80 km/hr (50 mph) and drift the 60-cm (24-inch) snowfall into 7 m (23.3 ft) drifts. 23 February 1999, Corner Brook, Newfoundland: Ice storm strikes Western Newfoundland, knocking out power to 1600 customers. In Corner Brook, ice covers wires and branches to 7 cm (2.75 inches) thick. 24 February 1996, St John's, Newfoundland: St John's warmest February day recorded when thermometer hits 16° C (60.8 ° F). 24 February 2007, Whitehorse, Yukon: Thousands of athletes and visitors descend on Whitehorse for the 2007 Canada Winter Games in late February and are greeted by extreme cold. Temperatures varied from daily highs of -20° C (-4 ° F) to nightly lows of -36° C (-33 ° F)with wind chills dipping to -50. The 24th registered the coldest morning -36.7° C (-34 ° F). 25 February 1965, Toronto, Ontario: The snowiest day on record at Toronto's Pearson International Airport measures 39.9 cm (15.7 inches) 26 February 1914, Claresholm, Alberta: Blustery, turbulent winds from the south and west cause extensive damage to the local curling rink. Many buggies, wagons and cars blown hundreds of metres. 26 February 2003, St. Anthony, Newfoundland: A fierce storm batters the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, stranding about 300 staff and students in St. Anthony schools. Winds gusting to 90 km/h (56 mph) produce drifting snow and continuous whiteouts, leaving many marooned at schools and the airport. 26 February 1988, Calgary, Alberta: The Winter Olympics? Calgary's high temperature of 18.1° C (64 ° F), is only slightly cooler than the Miami, Florida maximum temperature of 19.4° C (67° F) . 26 February 2006, St John's, Newfoundland: A massive blizzard buries eastern Newfoundland with up to 60 centimetres (24 inches) of snow. Winds gusting to 130 km/h (81 mph) pushes snowdrifts up to 1.5 metres deep (5 ft) and leave many roads in the capital littered with stranded cars. 27 February 1992, Trois-Rivières, Quebec: Blowing snow produces near-zero visibility during an intense winter storm causes massive highway pile-up involving 27 cars, 2 ten-wheelers and 4 tractor trailers. Two die and 15 are injured. 27-29 February 2004, Cartwright, Labrador: Blowing snow driven by a powerful blizzard batters parts of eastern Labrador. Snowfall at Cartwright over three days measures 121 cm (47.6 inches). Under wind gusts in excess of 110 km/h (69 mph) blowing snow reduces visibility to zero. 28 February 1959, Listowel, Ontario: An accumulation of heavy snow on the roof of a Listowel curling rink causes it to collapse during a curling bonspiel. Several inside are killed.
United States1 February 1893, Saint Louis, Missouri: Although the air temperature is only 13° above zero, Fahrenheit (-25° C), thunder and lightning accompany sleet and snow during the evening hours. 1 February 1920,Portland, Maine: Atmospheric pressure builds over Maine to unprecidented levels. Barometer in Portland reads 31.09 inches (1053 mb), the highest ever recorded at sea level in the US. 1 February 1951, Texas to Pennsylvania: Great ice storm produces glaze up to four inches (10 cm) thick from Texas to Pennsylvania. Twenty-five deaths, 500 serious injuries and $100 million damage. Tennessee hardest hit by the storm. Communications and utilities are interrupted for seven to ten days. 1 February 1986, United States: The longest recorded, national run without a tornado ends, 52 days from December 12, 1985 to February 1, 1986. 1-2 February 1916, Seattle, Washington: Seattle is buried under 21.5 inches (54.6 cm) of snow, its greatest 24-hour snowfall on the first. A total of 32.5 inches (82.6 cm) of wet snow accumulates over three days. Seattle cathedral dome collapses under weight. 2 February 1956, New Mexico and west Texas: A record snowstorm brings 15 inches (38 cm) of snow to Roswell New Mexico, and up to 33 inches (84 cm) in the Texas Panhandle. 2 February 2006, New Orleans, Louisiana: As if the devistation of 2005 was not enough, New Orleans is struck by two tornadoes, collapsing at least one previously damaged house and battering Louis Armstrong International Airport. 2 February 1996, Tower, Minnesota: Temperature plummets to a Minnesota record low of 60° below zero, F (-51° C), cancelling Tower's annual Icebox Days festival because it is too cold. 2-3 February 1952, South Florida: South Florida hit by the only tropical storm of record, known as the Groundhog Day Storm to hit the U.S. in February. Storm moves out of the Gulf of Mexico with 60 mph (96 km/hr) winds and two to four inches (5 to 10 cm) of rain. 3 February 1803, Winston Salem, North Carolina:The region is hit by 20 inches (50 cm) of snow. 3 February 1947, Tanacross, Alaska: Temperature plunges to a record 75° below zero, Fahrenheit (-59° C). 3 February 1963, Montezuma, Arizona: February's record maximum temperature in the United States 105°F (40.6° C). 3 February 1997, Centralia, Washington: Centralia sets the state record for consecutive days of precipitation at 55 between 10 November 1996 and 3 February 1997. 3 February 2006, Point Lay, Alaska: Temperature plunges to a local record of 56° below zero, Fahrenheit (-48.9° C). 3-12 February 2007, Northern New York:A 10-day stretch of intense lake-effect squalls finally ends for communities along eastern Lake Ontario, leaving behind from 7 to 12 feet (2.1 to 3.6 m) of snow. In Oswego County, Redfield's unofficial total of 141 inches (358 cm) since 3 February sets a state record for snowfall from a "single event," according to the National Weather Service. Final snowfall totals include: 121 inches (307 cm) in Parish and 106 inches (269 cm) in Mexico, both in Oswego County, and 106 inches (269 cm) in Osceola in neighboring Lewis County. The city of Oswego receives 85 inches (216 cm). 4 February 1996, Couderay, Wisconsin: The coldest temperature ever recorded east of the Mississippi River: -55 °F (-48.3° C). 4 February 2004, Pinson, Alabama: All-time record rainfall over 24 hours deluges Pinson: 7.15 inches (181.6 mm). 4 February 2007, Kahului, Hawaii: Kahului reports a minimum temperature of 54 °F (12.2° C), a daily low temperature record for the date. 5 February 1887, San Francisco, California: A rare snowfall dumps four inches (10 cm) on downtown San Francisco, with the city's western hills receiving seven inches (17.5 cm). Reportedly, excited crowds went on a snowball-throwing rampage. 5 February 2006, Mount Washington Observatory, New Hampshire: The heat is rising. Mount Washington Observatory reaches a high of 41°F (5° C), the warmest February 5th on record at the summit and two degrees off the monthly mark, where records have been kept since 1932. 5 February 1996, Greene, Rhode Island:Rhode Island's coldest temperature: -25 °F (-31.7° C). 6 February 1856, Oswego, New York: A rare February lake effect snowfall buries the Oswego area with 6 feet (457 cm) of snow. 7 February 1861, Gouverneur, New York: Temperature free-falls a record 70 Fahrenheit degrees (28.9 C degrees) in one day, bottoming out at -40° (C or F). Two days later the mercury soars to 55°F (12.8° C). 8 February 1987, Chicago, Illinois: Severe winter storm strikes Chicago with mountainous waves along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Waves reached 12-18 feet high (3.6-5.5 m) and the water level in Lake Michigan was raised two feet (0.6 m). 9 February 1933, Riverside Ranger Station, West Yellowstone Park, Montana: February's record minimum temperature in the continguous United States: minus 66°F (minus 54.4 ° C). 9 February 1933, Moran, Wyoming: The temperature at Moran, located next to Teton National Park, plunges to minus 63°F (minus 52.8 ° C) to establish a state record. 9 February 1977, Chicago, Illinois: The Windy City sees its longest recorded stretch of sub-freezing days end at 43. Seventeen days during the run had minimum tempertures below zero °F (minus 18 ° C), the coldest being -19°F (minus 28.3 ° C) 9 February 1934, Vanderbilt, Michigan: Michigan's record minimum temperature: minus 51°F (minus 46.1 ° C). 10 February 1899, Monterey, Virginia: The temperature plunges to -29°F (-33.9° C) , establishing the Virginia state minimum record (since broken). 11 February 1988, South Dakota: Bitter cold air grips the region The morning low in Aberdeen plunges to 35 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 37.2 ° C). A reading of minus 42°F (minus 41.1 ° C) is reported from Gettysburg. 11 February 2004, North Dakota: Governor John Hoeven declares a snow emergency as winds gusting over 70 mph (110 km/hr) along with heavy snow produces low visibilities and drifts up to 20 feet (6.1 m) in northwestern North Dakota. Amtrak train service is interrupted in the region 11-12 February 2006, New York, New York: The Blizzard of 2006 dumps a record one-day New York City snowfall (since records began in 1869) on Central Park: 26.9 inches (68.3 cm). 11-12 February 2006, US Northeast: Snowfall records also fall in Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania, Bridgeport and Hartford, Connecticut, Newark, New Jersey, and Worchester and Boston, Massachusetts. The highest total reported was 30.2 inches (76.7 cm) at Fairfield, CT. 12 February 1958, Northern Florida and Gulf Coast: Snow blankets northern Florida; Tallahassee reports a record 2.8 inches (7 cm). A ship in the Gulf of Mexico, 25 miles south of Fort Morgan AL, reports zero visibility in heavy snow on the afternoon of the 12th. 12 February 2006, Muskegon, Michigan: An intense snow squall of Lake Michigan cuts visibility to zero along a section of US 31. The resulting whiteout causes 96 cars to pile up; 25 were injured in the melee. 13 February 1899, Fort Myers, Florida: A trace of snow falls on Fort Myers, the farthest south that snow had been officially recorded in the US until the Miami snow of 1977. 13 February 1899, Tallahassee, Florida: The same day, the temperature plunges to -2°F (-18.9 ° C). 13 February 1899, New Orleans, Louisiana: After weeks of bitter cold, residents of New Orleans find ice 2 inches (5 cm) thick on the Mississippi River. The river reportedly is frozen from its source in Minnesota almost to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. Chunks of ice float out into the Gulf. 13-14 February 1887, Chicago, Illinois: Chicago's temperature rises from 0°F (-18 ° C) on the 13th to 58°F (14.4 ° C) on the 14th. The 58 F deg (32.2 C deg) rise is the biggest day-to-day rise on record. The city will experience a similar jump in temperature in March 1972. 14 February 1940, Northeastern States: A Saint Valentine's Day Blizzard blankets New England with up to a foot and a half (45 cm) of snow. Gale force winds associated with the storm strand many in downtown Boston. 14 February 2004, Dallas, Texas: Valentine's Day shows white among the red as Dallas sees 3 inches (7.5 cm) of snow wreaked havoc with Valentine's Day flower deliveries. The greatest snowfall since 1978 caused numerous traffic accidents, power outages and flight cancellations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. 15 February 2004, Tennessee: Up to 11 inches (33 cm) of snow fall in areas south of Nashville, causing power outages and producing hazardous driving conditions. 15-17 February 2003, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast States.: The President's Day Storm of 2003 buries the US East. Many all-time snowfall records are broken, including those in Baltimore and Boston. The storm system brings accumulations of 1-2 feet (30-61 cm) with snowfall amounts exceeding 35 inches (89 cm) in parts of northeastern West Virginia, the heaviest snow accumulations to the East Coast since the Blizzard of 1996. 16 February 1903, Pokegama Dam, Minnesota: Minnesota records its coldest temperature ever with -59 °F (-50.6 °C). 17 February 1748, Charleston, South Carolina: The coldest temperature ever recorded in the Colonial South: 10 °F (-12 °C). 17 February 1926, Binham Canyon, Utah: . A deadly avalanche, Utah's worst, demolishes 14 miner's cottages and a three-story boarding house. Thirty-six are killed and 13 injured. 17-18 February 2003, Boston, Massachusetts: The President's Day snowstorm sets a new Boston record for the greatest snowstorm total snowfall: a total of 27.5 inches (70 cm). 18 February 1899, San Francisco, California: While much of the central and eastern U.S. was recovering from the most severe cold wave of modern history, the temperature at San Francisco soared to 80° F (26.7° C) to establish a record for month of February. 18 February 1979, Old Forge, New York: The coldest temperature ever officially recorded in New York State -52° F (-46.7° C) at Old Forge in the Adirondacks. 19 February 1884, Southeastern United States: Severe thunderstorms spawn outbreak of sixty tornadoes across the southeastern US, killing more than 420 persons and causing three million dollars damage. Georgia and the Carolinas are hardest hit. 20 February 1898, Eastern Wisconsin: Massive snowstorm buries eastern Wisconson. Racine receives 30 inches, (76 cm) while drifts around Milwaukee soar 15 feet (4.6 m) in height. 21 February 1918, Granville, North Dakota: Extreme chinook winds drive temperature in Granville from -33° F (-36.1° C) to 50° F (10° C), rise of 83 F° (46 C° ). 21 February 1971, Elk City, Oklahoma: Elk City flounders under 36 inches (90 cm) of snow which establish a 24-hour snowfall record for the state. 22 February 1773, New England: Memorable "Cold Sabbath" across the region leaves many with frozen extremities while going to church in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Minus 11 ° F (-24° C) is observed at Dover, New Hampshire. 23 February 1802, Northeastern States: A major snowstorm rages along the New England coast bringing 48 inches (122 cm) of snow north of Boston. Three large ships from Salem are wrecked along Cape Cod. 23 February 1998, Otis, Oregon: Otis records its 79 straight day of of rain, the streak which began on 7 December 1997 is the longest in the contiguous US. 24 February 2004, Northern New Mexico: Heavy snows blanket wide areas of northern New Mexico, closing schools and highways. Snow accumulates to 20 inches (50 cm) on the mountains east of Santa Fe; Sandia Park, east of Albuquerque, measures 11inches (28 cm); 8 inches (20 cm) falls at Los Alamos. 24-26 February 1910, Laconia, Washington: The state's greatest snowstorm dumps 129 inches (328 cm) of snow on Laconia over 3 days. 24-28 February 1977, Virginia to Florida: Dust from western Great Plains reduces visibilities from eastern Virginia through the southeastern states to Florida.The dust originated in the western Great Plains on the 22nd and 23rd, as winds gust above 100 mph (160 km/hr) at Guadalupe Pass, Texas and White Sands, New Mexico, and over Sherman County, Kansas and eastern Colorado. 25 February 1989, Jacksonville, Florida: Jacksonville, where the temperature dips to 24°F (-4.4 °C) is one of thirteen Florida cities to reported record low temperatures. The severe cold in Florida claims three lives and results in $250 to $300 million in crop damage. 25 February 1922, Los Angeles, California: The temperature in Los Angeles hits 92°F (33.3 °C) to establish a record for the month of February. 26 February 1988, Central and Western U.S : Eight cities in the central and western U.S. report new record high temperatures, including Lamoni Iowa with a reading of 67 °F (19.4 °C). Temperatures in North Dakota were as warm as those in Florida. 26 February 2004, Charlotte, North Carolina: Major snowstorm dumps up to 20 inches (51 cm) of snow accumulated in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Charlotte's third largest snowstorm on record accumulates 11.6 inches (29.5 cm) at the airport. 27 February 1969, Maine: A record snowstorm in Maine comes to an end. Two to four feet (60-120 cm) of snow bury southern and central Maine, with a state record of 57 inches (145 cm) reported at West Forks. Drifts cover many single story homes, and the weight of the snow collapse many roofs. 27 February 1988, Ventura County, California: Torrental rains from thunderstorms along a cold front dumps 2.52 inches (64 mm) in Ventura County. 28 February 1900, Kansas to New York: A massive storm spreads record snows from Kansas to New York State. Some of the record nowfall totals: 17.5 inches (44 cm) at Springfield Illinois, 43 inches (109 cm) at Rochester, New York and up to 60 inches (152 cm) in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. 29 February 1988, Ventura County, California: A wet Leap Day for southern California. 4.76 inches (120.9 mm) of rain is reported at Tommys Creek in Ventura County. 29 February 2008, Bethel, Maine: The world's tallest snowman, actually a snowwoman, is unveiled in the western Maine town of Bethel. "Olympia," named for Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, is about 122 feet (37.2 m) tall, 10 feet (3.1 m) taller than "Angus, King of the Mountain," which has held the tallest snowman record since 1999. He was named for Angus King, Maine's governor at the time. For More Extreme Weather Events,
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