Star Date: 29 February 2016 Monday Leap Day

Happy leap day! :)

February 2016 is polar opposite February 2015...polar vortex that is. :)

Last year the month was ending with the coldest conditions in many decades and 63% of the country covered in snow and 87% of the Great Lakes covered in ice. Today? Only 12% of the country covered in snow and only 7% of the Lakes covered in ice! Last year the average national temperature at the end of February was 37 degrees, this year very likely a record 63F with the greatest year-over-year change in 121 years of records. For the month overall, every state had above average temperatures except Florida and South/North Carolina. For the U.S. overall, February 2016 temps were the warmest in 16 years,9th wettest of the past 25+ years but the least snowfall in 4 years (26% below average and a whopping 48% less than last year). Even the Northeast that suffered through the record cold Valentine's Day weekend ended +3 degrees above average and a whopping +14.7 degrees warmer than last year for the warmest February in 4 years.

We have a complete recap of meteorological Winter (1 Dec - 29 Feb) in today's blog so we'll end here.

Hope your week is off to a great start folks! - Capt Kirk out.