People who think it’s been colder than usual in Springfield aren’t imagining things.
The National Weather Service reports that both January and February have been colder than usual. The average maximum temperature in February, for instance, was 33.7 degrees, 5.2 degrees colder than the normal February. The average minimum temperature for February was 18.5 degrees, which is 3.7 degrees colder than the normal February low for Springfield.
Since Jan. 1, the daily high has been below 30 degrees 21 times.
Taken together, the numbers mean one thing – it’s been cold.
“We might see a break in the temperatures later in the week and into weekend,” Dan Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said Monday. “But, as far as anything prolonged, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen for awhile.
“Looks like another cold front will be coming through probably next Monday, and that will drop the temperatures again. We just can’t stay mild very long.”
Smith said the cold weather could be linked to a fluctuation in the jet stream pattern. This winter, the jet stream has been in the south and has kept a lot of the larger storms along the Gulf coast and up along the east coast. The jet stream is also drawing cold air down from the north, which is making it colder in the Springfield area.
As March goes forward, the weather should change for the better, Smith added.
Normally, the average daily high in Springfield at the end of March is in the upper 50s.
John Reynolds can be reached at 788-1524.
Weather so far
Below are weather statistics for the Springfield area. All data is from the National Weather Service.
*Temperatures
Average maximum for January 2010: 27.9 degrees, which is 5.2 degrees colder than the normal January average.
Average maximum for February 2010: 33.7 degrees, which is also 5.2 degrees colder than the normal February average.
Average minimum for January 2010: 15.2 degrees, which is 1.9 degrees colder than the normal January average.
Average minimum for February 2010: 18.5 degrees, which is 3.7 degrees colder than the normal February average.
*Precipitation:
January: Total precipitation for month, 1.32 inches, which is .3 inches less than the normal January total.
February: Total precipitation for month, 2.13 inches, which is .33 inches more than the normal February total:
*Other weather numbers
Number of days of heavy rain: January, 1; February,, 0
Number of days of light rain: January, 4; February, 7
Number of days of heavy snow: January, 0; February, 0
Number of days of light snow: January, 9; February, 14
Number of days with fog: January, 18; February, 16
Number of days cloudy: January, 13; February, 10
Read the original article from The State Journal-Register.
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