The February Freeze
Joe Settineri
This February has been a frigid adventure, at the least. The combination of cold temperatures and high winds has resulted in many days of bitter cold. Temperatures have failed to rise above 32 degrees the entire month and the snow has began to pile up. The snowfall for Cortland County this year has been surprisingly about average. At the moment, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Homer NY has about 45” of the white stuff on the ground. Currently the snow we have on the ground equates to about 8” of water, which will result in a springtime mess. Compared to previous years, the total snowfall currently on the ground is notably greater. There is about 83% more snow on the ground than last year (which was 8”) and 74% more than 2013 (12”). Not only is the snow a burden to wade through, but the Town of Homer and the City of Cortland are beginning to run out of space to dump it.
The piling snow isn't the only thing substantial about this month; this February will break the coldest February on record, ever. On February 16th, when we reached a frosty 17 below, we broke the record low temperature of 10 below. This record dated back to 1943 and was similar to the record broken on February 21st when we soared past the previous record of 13 below with our temperature diving to 16 below. Not only have we broken records for daily temperatures, but the average temperature this month has been a cool 9.7 degrees. The previous record, 12.1 degrees, was set 80 years ago, in 1934. The average temperature in Cortland County for February is 26 degrees which makes this year’s February 63% colder than normal. Although I personally enjoy the frigid temperatures, many are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately for many, the temperature looks to be on the rise in the up and coming weeks.
*Note- all temperatures referenced are in degrees Fahrenheit
Works cited
Not available. Wunderground.com. Not available. The Weather Channel LLC, 2015. web. Feb
2015.
Not available. nohrsc.noaa.gov. not available. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
February 2, 2015, web. Feb 2015.
