The temperatures this past February have been slightly colder than the previous two years, but slightly warmer on average than Feb. 2014.
The overall average temperature in February this year was -2.8 degrees, but that doesn’t portray the jumps and drops of the last few weeks.
This month started out with temperatures ranging between -5 and -7, until a minor cold spell where it dropped closer to -10 for four days Feb. 7-10.
A bit of snow drifted in on the tail end of the cold, but as things warmed up the rain came pouring down for several days in the middle of the month.
During that week of rain, temperatures ranged around +3, and on Feb. 20 it dropped gently into the mild negatives.
On Saturday, Feb. 25, just over three centimetres of snow fell, while the temperature chilled around -5. After that it warmed slightly for two days and then dropped to -6 to clinch off the month.
And while the bumpy ups and downs may have felt strange, the general trend has been fairly typical.
The only noticeable difference is that the prior two years, Feb. 2015 and 2016, were more mild, staying mostly above 0.
But the winter overall, did see a few cold spells more chilly than the last three years. Other years have seen cold spikes as well, but these were slightly chillier, lingering longer below -9 than most. Those hit Dec. 7 to 17 and Jan. 1 to 5, with the most recent more mild from Jan. 31 to Feb. 11.
