Despite a late-winter snowfall in Chilliwack early last month, it was still the mildest February in four years.
The second month of 2020 started off wet, and stayed that way, with gusty southwest winds and temperatures peaking for the month at 12.2 degrees Celsius (6.9 degrees C above normal).
What was to become the final blast of wintry lowland snowfall came down Feb. 2 to Feb. 5 in Chilliwack, according to Roger Pannett, volunteer weather observer for Environment Canada.
On the chilly end of the thermometer, the minimum temperature of the month was recorded Feb. 4 at -1.5 degrees C.
Snowfall totals, during the three days, remained at 40 per cent below normal, according to Pannett’s data.
After that, three weeks of mild and predominantly damp conditions returned, with heavy mountain snowfalls increasing the provincial snow pack to more than 110 per cent of normal.
A few welcome sunny days occurred, after mid-month, as a weak high-pressure ridge moved in. The month concluded with spring like conditions and temperatures 3 degrees C above normal.
No temperature or precipitation records were broken, but with mean temperatures 0.45 degrees C above normal it was the mildest February in four years, Pannett reported.
For the third consecutive February, precipitation totals were below normal. (-43.3%).
Continuing the past 30-year trend of milder winters, T Sum 200 occurred early on Feb. 16 compared to the March 10 average.
The term ‘T-Sum’ is a method to determine when to make the first application of nitrogen fertilizer in spring, with accumulated mean daily temperatures (in C) above zero, starting on January 1.
The 2020 total precipitation to date is 471.8 mm on 51 days compared to the average of 458.5 mm on 36 days.
Total winter 2019/20 precipitation is at 716.1 mm on 75 days compared to the average of 752.9 mm on 58 days. The wettest winter since 2010/11.
The 2019 /20 winter mean temperature was 3.98 °C, above the average 3.16 °C and the mildest since 2015/16.
READ MORE: Atmospheric river of rain hit Jan. 31
READ MORE: Chilliwack River swells with heavy rains
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