Creek Live Cam

• Tide Rockhold and Tracey's Creek Marina Entrance Pool Marina Office

Mid-winter blues

On the calendar, the mid-point of the winter season occurs early in the month of February. Ground Hog Day on the second of the month is a well known marker for the middle of winter. Apparently the German immigrants carried that tradition with them when they settled here in the states.

During the short month of February, the sun is rising in the skies and days are growing longer. This helps ease the spirits and begin to raise the temperatures. Average temperatures everywhere rise from January's frigid levels, by as much as 7 to 9 degrees in the northern states.

Despite the moderating temperatures, it is still plenty cold enough to snow. February is the snowiest month of the year in most of the United States. The full moon not surprisingly is called the Snow Moon.

The polar and subtropical jet streams reach their southernmost position in the US and surrounding ocean areas in February. Storms tracking across the Pacific can enter the west coast almost anywhere this month. But with the Pacific jet stream at its southern most position, the frequency of storms entering California reaches the annual peak. These southern storms tend to move across Nevada and Utah before reforming east of the Rockies as the Texas Panhandle or Colorado lows and tracking towards the Ohio Valley or Great Lakes.

Storms entering the west coast further north dump heavy precipitation on the Cascades and then the Rockies before reforming into the infamous Alberta lows which move rapidly into the northern US with quick hits of light to moderate snows and gusty winds. These storms may intensify when the reach the Atlantic but their momentum usually carries them far enough out to sea to spare the major metro areas from a dumping.

With the jet streams far to the south, the Gulf of Mexico storm frequency reaches its annual maximum. When these storms track north they can bring heavy weather (snow, ice and flooding rains) to the Gulf states, the Appalachians, the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and the Great Lakes. When they move or jump to the Atlantic coast, they become the nor'easters that bring heavy snows and strong winds to the eastern cities and mountain ski areas.

Later in the month, these same southern storms often carry warm, moist tropical air north inland over the deep south. Strong thunderstorms can erupt in these warm sectors. Tornado frequency increases some 40% from January levels. This is the beginning of the severe weather season which will peak in the south late in the winter and early in the spring and then slowly shift north.

Though the sun is returning to the northern hemisphere, the deep snow and ice cover over the interior northern continents still makes them prolific polar air mass producers. If air is allowed to sit for any length of time, temperatures plummet and pressures rise over the snow and ice. These air masses can plunge into the states and bring blustery and bitter cold waves.

In February, Hudson's Bay becomes a more important air mass source. These air masses tend to move across southeastern Canada and can bring some of the coldest weather to the northeast. When they position themselves over the Maritimes and storms are moving up from the Gulf or along the Atlantic, some of the biggest and longest lasting snowstorms can result.

While the polar highs are at their maximum strength and coverage, the sub-tropical highs are at their annual minimum strength and extent. In the Pacific the weakened Pacific high is at its southernmost position allowing Pacific storms to move inland far to the south in southern or central California.

In the Atlantic, the Bermuda Azores high is also furthest south, stretching east-west from the Azores to off the southeast coast. Usually the western end of this high is weak, making room for storms to develop off the southeast coast.

The extremes in February range from 105 F at Montezuma, AZ on February 3, 1963. The coldest February temperature was recorded on February 9, 1933 in West Yellowstone, Montana with -66 F.

February In The Northeast

The cold can ease a bit from mid-winter levels and the increasing sunshine can be encouraging, but winter still can make itself felt in a big way in February. The coldest temperatures ever recorded have occurred in early February outbreaks, and February is the snowiest month for most areas in the northeast.

Cold air masses can descend into the northeast from Hudson's Bay and when snow cover is in place, temperatures can fall to record levels. The wind often makes these outbreaks even more painful. These high pressure centers often stay just north of the area which tends to prolong the cold as the cold air tends to continue to pool and drain south in the coastal plain even after the center passes east. When the highs move south of the area, the return southwest wind flow usually cause temperatures to rebound more quickly and significantly.

Meanwhile, while we look to the north and northwest for the cold air we look to the south and southwest for the storms. The southern storm tracks can make things very interesting. When the storms come out of the Gulf, they carry tropical moisture with them. Additional moisture is then introduced from the Atlantic especially when the wind flow brings air across the Gulf Stream. When the tropical moisture encounters the arctic air, heavy snows and ice can result.