NATIONAL STORM SUMMARY

FEBRUARY 2026

1-7: January 31 – February 1 snowfall in Wilmington, NC, totaled 5.8 inches, with 3.5 inches falling on the latter date. Similarly, Charleston, SC, recorded 1.1 inches of snow over the 2 days, including the first-ever measurable snow (0.4 inch) on February 1. Farther inland, storm-total snowfall in Charlotte, NC, climbed to 11.4 inches, with all but 0.4 inch occurring on January 31. The only other area experiencing meaningful precipitation as February began was the Pacific Northwest, where Olympia, WA, received rainfall totaling 1.34 inches during the month’s first 2 days. Subsequently, minimal precipitation fell across much of the nation for several days, aside from midweek rain in the South and additional showers in the Pacific Northwest.

In south-central Alaska, Kodiak was an exception to the dry pattern, with rainfall totaling 5.28 inches during the first 7 days of February. Nearly half of Kodiak’s rain, 2.45 inches (a record for the date), fell on February 3. Farther south, occasional showers and gusty winds prevailed across Hawaii. Lihue, Kauai, measured a southwesterly wind gust to 57 mph on February 2. A south-southwesterly gust to 56 mph was clocked in Kahului, Maui, on February 2, followed by a northwesterly gust to 62 mph on February 7. Heavier rain arrived at week’s end, when Molokai netted 1.46 inches on February 7.

8-14: Precipitation overspreading the Northwest led to daily-record amounts for February 8 in Walla Walla, WA (1.07 inches); Pendleton, OR (0.57 inches); and Lewiston, ID (0.54 inches). The following day in Montana, record-setting totals for the 9th included 0.84 inches in Lewistown, 0.57 inches in Helena, and 0.46 inches in Miles City. Subsequently, precipitation raced eastward across roughly the southern half of the U.S., starting in California on February 10-11. Lubbock, TX, collected a daily-record rainfall (0.91 inch) for February 13. The week ended on February 14 with daily record totals of 2.12 inches in Little Rock, AR; 1.30 inches in Dallas-Ft—Worth, TX; and 1.12 inches in Topeka, KS. Meanwhile, locations receiving no measurable precipitation during the first half of February included Omaha and Lincoln, NE; Huron and Mitchell, SD; and Lamoni and Ames, IA.

In western Alaska, peak wind gusts on February 14 were clocked to 56 mph in Kotzebue and 52 mph in Nome, resulting in blowing snow. Farther south, much of Hawaii settled into a more tranquil weather pattern, following early-week rainfall. On the Big Island, Hilo netted rainfall totaling 6.46 inches from February 8-10. Hilo’s month-to-date rainfall through February 14 climbed to 8.52 inches (177 percent of normal). At the state’s other major airport observation sites, rainfall during the first half of February ranged from 0.87 inch (exactly normal) in Honolulu, Oahu, to 2.22 inches (136 percent of normal) in Lihue, Kauai. Windy weather persisted early in the week, with Molokai Airport recording a northeasterly gust to 59 mph on February 8.

15-21: Stormy and colder weather in California and elsewhere in the West helped to improve previously meager mountain snowpack, with an average of more than 5 inches of snow-water equivalency being added to the Sierra Nevada. However, 4- to 8-foot snowfall totals in the Sierra Nevada also led to travel disruptions through mountain passes and contributed to the nation’s deadliest avalanche in 45 years.

Several rounds of storminess affected the eastern U.S. Although much of the Eastern precipitation fell as rain, some wintry weather was observed from the Great Lakes States into the Northeast. In the eastern Corn Belt, an early-season outbreak of severe weather occurred on February 19, when as many as a dozen tornadoes were reported in Illinois and Indiana.

Short-lived but beneficial showers crossed Florida early in the week, with Leesburg (1.53 inches) and Winter Haven (1.47 inches) netting daily-record totals for February 15. Elsewhere on the 15th, showers sweeping from the mid-South into the mid-Atlantic resulted in daily-record amounts in Danville, VA (1.44 inches), and Batesville, AR (1.38 inches). Subsequently, significant precipitation arrived in the Pacific Coast States. In California, record-setting totals for February 16 included 1.81 inches in Stockton and 1.65 inches in Modesto. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, Blue Canyon, CA, netted precipitation totaling 6.46 inches from February 15-19. Unofficial snowfall totaled 73 inches near Blue Canyon, while 78 inches was reported near Donner Peak. Near Soda Springs, CA, 92.5 inches of snow was reported. On February 17, an avalanche near Castle Peak, CA, northwest of Lake Tahoe, claimed the lives of nine backcountry skiers, becoming the deadliest U.S. avalanche since June 21, 1981, when eleven climbers perished in an icefall on Mount Rainier, WA. In southern California, Bishop—a high-desert location—measured a daily-record total of 1.03 inches, including 4.3 inches of snow, on February 17. Reno, NV, was blanketed by 7.7 inches of snow on February 17, followed by 4.0 inches just 2 days later. Farther inland, Alta, UT, received 31.2 inches of snow in 24 hours on February 17-18. Through the 20th, five-day snowfall totals reached 9.7 inches in Flagstaff, AZ, and 45.4 inches in Alta. During the mid- to late-week period, variable snowfall occurred in the North. February 18 featured daily-record totals in Marquette, MI (11.6 inches), and the National Weather Service office in Grand Forks, ND (10.6 inches). On the same date, Duluth, MN, endured blizzard conditions, with a peak easterly wind gust to 66 mph, along with daily-record totals for snowfall (6.3 inches) and precipitation (0.74 inch). A separate storm system produced a stripe of snow on February 19, with daily snowfall records being set in Omaha and Lincoln, NE (8.2 and 6.3 inches, respectively), along with Des Moines and Waterloo, IA (5.0 and 4.6 inches, respectively). Late in the week, precipitation returned across the East. Daily-record totals—all rain—included 1.46 inches in Pittsburgh, PA, and 0.96 inches in Atlantic City, NJ. Alma, GA, collected a daily-record sum (1.12 inches) for February 21.

Significant storminess was observed in some areas. For example, Fairbanks received 11.5 inches of snow on February 18-19, boosting its snow depth to 34 inches by the morning of the 20th. Snow extended into southeastern Alaska, where Juneau measured 6.9 inches on February 19-20.

Showers were active for much of the week in Hawaii’s windward locations, while late-week rainfall spread to other areas of the state. On the Big Island, Hilo’s month-to-date rainfall through February 21 climbed to 11.34 inches (154 percent of normal). February 21 was rather wet in several locations, including Lihue, Kauai (a daily-record sum of 1.82 inches), and Honolulu, Oahu (0.66 inches). Honolulu’s 2-day (February 20-21) rainfall totaled 1.40 inches.

22-28: Heavy snow and high winds blasted the middle and northern Atlantic Coast on February 22-23, followed by a much more tranquil regime in the eastern U.S. However, storm-related impacts lingered for several days in blizzard-affected areas from Delaware to southern New England. Meanwhile, meaningful Western precipitation was mostly limited to parts of northern California and southern Oregon. Unlike earlier events, when cold weather had maximized Western snow accumulations, precipitation fell mostly as rain, with some of the highest totals occurring on February 23 and 24.

Paducah’s December-February precipitation totaled just 3.27 inches (27 percent of normal). December-February records for lowest total precipitation values were also observed in locations such as Carbondale, IL (2.49 inches, or 29 percent of normal); Poplar Bluff, MO (2.44 inches, or 21 percent); and Cape Girardeau, MO (2.13 inches, or 20 percent). Farther east, however, a rapidly intensifying coastal storm delivered heavy snow and high winds along the middle and northern Atlantic Coast on February 22-23. More than a foot of snow fell from Philadelphia to Boston, while peak gusts ranged from 40 to 70 mph, with higher values observed on Cape Cod and adjacent islands. Providence, RI, received a 2-day storm total of 37.9 inches of snow, smashing the station record set with 28.6 inches on February 6 7, 1978. With 35.5 inches on the 23rd, Providence nearly doubled its former single-day snowfall record of 19.0 inches, set on January 8, 1996. On Long Island, Islip received February 22-23 snowfall totaling 29.1 inches, while Newark, NJ, measured 27.2 inches. In New York City, LaGuardia Airport netted 22.5 inches, while Central Park collected 19.7 inches. Peak wind gusts included 68 mph in both Boston, where 17.1 inches fell, and Providence. New York’s JFK Airport had 20.1 inches of snow and clocked a peak gust to 62 mph, while Atlantic City, NJ, reported respective values of 16.9 inches and 61 mph. Later, the focus for heavy precipitation briefly shifted to southern Oregon and northern California, where record-setting rainfall totals included 3.51 inches (on the 23rd) in North Bend, OR, and 2.74 inches (on the 24th) in Redding, CA. Farther inland, the snow depth in Alta, UT, decreased from 82 to 57 inches during the last 10 days of February, as a “warm” late-month storm produced more than 2 inches of liquid equivalency but deposited only 2.3 inches of snow.

February precipitation in Nome climbed to 2.93 inches (296 percent of normal), aided by a daily record sum of 1.00 inch on February 22. Despite the cold weather, significant snow blanketed southeastern Alaska, where Juneau received 24.2 inches during the last 5 days of February. Farther south, periodically heavy showers continued across Hawaii, capping an overall wet month. On the Big Island, Hilo’s February rainfall totaled 16.89 inches (165 percent of normal). At the state’s other major airport observation sites, February rainfall ranged from 2.37 inches (122 percent of normal) in Honolulu, Oahu, to 4.87 inches (134 percent) in Lihue, Kauai.

Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.jimmunleywx.com