The NWS Climate Prediction Center released their latest seasonal forecasts today. Here are the results for Illinois. The biggest news is that Illinois has an increased chance of above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation for the winter months of December, January, and February. This forecast is based largely on the developing El Niño in the Pacific Ocean. […]
Read More from Latest Seasonal Forecasts for Illinois – A Mild Winter?
Here are the time series plots of the statewide average temperature for February and winter (December-January-February) from 1895 to present (source: NOAA NCDC). February In the first plot, I have a red box around the temperature for 2014 and 2015. The only other time that we had a pair of extremely cold Februarys was 1978 […]
Read More from How February and This Winter Stacked Up in Illinois
Here are the lows this morning, courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Lincoln. Areas in blue were below zero. Champaign-Urbana reached -9 degrees, breaking the old record of 4 degrees set in 1899. Of course, widespread snow cover (map below), clear skies, and calm winds were contributing factors in the hopefully last round […]
Read More from Last Below Zero Weather of the Season? I Hope.
The statewide average temperature for the three winter months of December, January, and February in Illinois was 26.1 degrees, 7.5 degrees below average. While cold, it was not nearly as cold as last winter’s 21.7 degrees. This winter ranks as the 30th coldest on record. This winter started off mild with an average December temperature […]