February started off with a warm and pleasant stretch, reaching a summery 89 degrees in several locations on Feb. 3, breaking the all-time high temperature record for that date—87 degrees, set in Erick back in 1934.
However, it was all downhill from there, as winter quickly reclaimed its grip on the calendar with a series of storms, each colder than the last.
The first cold front arrived soon after the record warmth, bringing freezing drizzle to northwestern Oklahoma on Feb. 5, prompting a traveler’s advisory from the National Weather Service.
The following week, a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow blanketed the northwest on Feb. 11 and 12, causing school and business closures and hazardous travel conditions. The coldest temperature of the month, -8 degrees, was recorded at Eva on Feb. 13, accompanied by a wind chill of -23 degrees, which tied for the lowest wind chill of the month.
During this stretch, widespread sub-zero wind chills were observed across the state.
The coldest weather of the month, and possibly the season, hit the following week, with widespread snow, ice, and record-breaking cold.
Temperatures remained below freezing in some areas for over 100 hours straight from Feb. 17 to 21. An ‘Extreme Cold Warning’ was issued for most of the state as wind chills dipped between -15 and -25 degrees below zero.
This was accompanied by winter storm warnings for sleet, freezing rain, and 3-5 inches of snow, with Bartlesville and northeast Oklahoma receiving the highest official totals of 5 inches. Numerous highways were closed, and schools and businesses were shut down for several days. Oklahoma City and Tulsa each tied or broke numerous record low minimum and maximum temperatures from Feb. 19 to 21, as did many other sites across the state.
February by the Numbers:
• Statewide average temperature: 38.7°F (3.7°F below normal), marking the 39th-coolest February since records began in 1895.
• Temperature extremes: High of 89°F on Feb. 3; low of -8°F at Eva on Feb. 13.
• Low temperatures below 10°F: 487 instances recorded on the Oklahoma Mesonet, including 52 readings below zero.
• Wind chills below zero: 520 instances across the Mesonet network.
• Statewide average precipitation: 0.64 inches (1.05 inches below normal), ranking as the 23rd-driest February on record.
• Rainfall extremes: High of 3.3 inches at Broken Bow; low of 0.01 inches at Goodwell.
Winter by the Numbers:
• Statewide average temperature (Dec-Feb): 36.2°F, ranking as the 27th-coolest winter on record.
• Temperature extremes: -15°F at Kenton on Jan. 20; 89°F on Feb. 3.
• Statewide average precipitation (Dec-Feb): 3.33 inches (2.04 inches below normal), ranking as the 29th-driest winter on record.
• Driest winter total: 0.18 inches at Boise City.
• Wettest winter total: 18.35 inches at Broken Bow.
Western Oklahoma faced considerable dryness, with the Panhandle, west-central, and southwest regions recording their 5th, 6th, and 4th driest winters on record, respectively. As a result, the percentage of Oklahoma in at least moderate drought more than tripled from 5% at the end of January to over 18% at the end of February, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Additionally, 62% of the state was in ‘abnormally dry’ conditions by the end of February, up from 21% at the start of the month.
Looking Ahead:
The Climate Prediction Center’s outlook for March indicates increased odds of abovenormal temperatures across Oklahoma, with the highest likelihood in the southern part of the state. There is also a slightly greater chance of below-normal precipitation in the southwestern half. As for drought, the March outlook suggests it may persist in areas where it currently exists and spread further east across south-central Oklahoma.
