910
NOUS44 KMEG 030117
PNSMEG
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-
MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-031330-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
717 PM CST SAT MAR 2 2013

...FEBRUARY 2013 MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY...

FEBRUARY 2013 YIELDED SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR ALL
OFFICIAL CLIMATE SITES WITH JONESBORO BEING THE ONLY EXCEPTION
CHECKING IN AT 0.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. HOWEVER...DUE TO JANUARY
BEING ABNORMALLY WARM...YEARLY TEMPERATURES ARE STILL AROUND 2.0
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON AVERAGE. JONESBORO ALSO STOOD OUT IN THE
PRECIPITATION CATEGORY AS IT WAS THE ONLY OFFICIAL CLIMATE SITE TO
FINISH THE MONTH ABOVE NORMAL WITH A DEPARTURE OF 0.70 INCHES.
MEMPHIS MEASURED 0.54 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH WHILE
JACKSON AND TUPELO MEASURED AT 0.52 AND 1.24 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL...RESPECTIVELY. THUS TUPELO WAS THE DRIEST CLIMATE SIGHT
VERSUS THE AVERAGE DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. WITH THAT
SAID...JUST LIKE WITH TEMPERATURES...ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION
VALUES FROM JANUARY KEEP THE YEARLY TOTALS AROUND 3.6 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL ON AVERAGE. SOME LIGHT SNOW WAS RECORDED AT ALL OFFICIAL
CLIMATE SITES DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. BELOW IS THE CLIMATE
DATA THAT TELLS THE STORY:


TEMPERATURE DATA:
                              MEMPHIS   JACKSON   JONESBORO   TUPELO
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (FEB)   :   45.2      42.1       42.1      45.1
NORMAL AVG. TEMP (FEB)      :   45.5      42.3       41.5      45.9
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (FEB) :   -0.3      -0.2        0.6      -0.8
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (YEAR)  :   45.1      42.1       41.7      45.6
NORMAL AVG. TEMP (YEAR)     :   43.4      40.3       39.5      43.8
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (YEAR):    1.7       1.8        2.2       1.8

PRECIPITATION DATA:
                              MEMPHIS   JACKSON   JONESBORO   TUPELO
TOTAL SNOWFALL (FEB)         :     T       0.1          T         T
TOTAL PRECIPITATION (FEB)    :  3.85      3.65       4.42      3.72
NORMAL PRECIPITATION (FEB)   :  4.39      4.17       3.72      4.96
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (FEB)  : -0.54     -0.52       0.70     -1.24
TOTAL PRECIPITATION (YEAR)   : 13.57     11.94       9.79     12.43
NORMAL PRECIPITATION (YEAR)  :  8.37      8.24       7.15      9.44
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL (YEAR) :  5.20      3.70       2.64      2.99


SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENTS:

FOR FEBRUARY 2013: WINTER WEATHER WAS THE MAIN STORYLINE FROM THE
MONTH AS MULTIPLE WAVES OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND SNOW
AFFECTED PORTIONS OF THE MID-SOUTH REGION. THE FIRST OF WHICH
STARTED ON THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2ND...AS A
WEAK UPPER LEVEL WAVE AND AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW PASSED THROUGH
THE REGION. SURFACE TEMPERATURES WERE ALREADY AT OR BELOW FREEZING
ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. TEMPERATURES ALOFT WERE INCREASING AS WARM
SOUTHERLY FLOW OVERRAN THE SUBFREEZING SURFACE LAYER. THIS
PRODUCED AN AMPLE SETUP FOR FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET.
LUCKILY...TOTAL ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE WAS LIMITED WITH THIS
SYSTEM...SO ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE REGION WERE MINIMAL. MOST
AREAS GENERALLY SAW A TENTH OF AN INCH OR LESS OF ICE ACCUMULATION
ALONG WITH SOME LIGHT SLEET.

THE NEXT WAVE OF WINTER WEATHER CAME ON THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS OF
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 21ST. ON THE 20TH...A STRONG SURFACE LOW HAD
DEVELOPED ACROSS THE TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND WAS PUSHING ITS
WAY EASTWARD. ICE STORM WARNINGS HAD BEEN ISSUED ACROSS PORTIONS
OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA...SOUTHERN MISSOURI...AND MUCH OF NORTHERN
ARKANSAS. AS THE SYSTEM PROGRESSED...MOISTURE BEGAN TO OVERSPREAD
THE MID-SOUTH REGION OUT AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW AS WARM MOIST
AIR ALOFT ONCE AGAIN OVERRAN THE COOLER SURFACE AIR MASS. WARMER
SURFACE TEMPERATURES WERE EXPECTED TO MOVE IN ACROSS MOST OF THE
MID-SOUTH REGION THAT AFTERNOON. THUS...THE ICE STORM WARNING WAS
ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS WERE THE SUBFREEZING
SURFACE TEMPERATURES WOULD REMAIN. IN THE END...MOST OF THE ICING
IMPACTS WERE FELT IN THIS REGION. REPORTS FROM RANDOLPH AND
LAWRENCE COUNTIES OF AROUND A QUARTER INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION ON
TREES WERE REPORTED. ELSEWHERE...LITTLE TO KNOW ICE ACCUMULATION
WAS OBSERVED. HOWEVER...SOME AREAS FURTHER EAST ACROSS WEST
TENNESSEE AND NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI DID EXPERIENCE BRIEF PERIODS
OF MODERATE SLEET AND SNOWFALL INTO THE EVENING HOURS OF THE
21ST...WITH MINOR ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN AN INCH BEING
OBSERVED.

THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY PRODUCED ONE SEVERE WEATHER EVENT ACROSS THE
MID-SOUTH REGION WHICH OCCURRED ON MONDAY FEBRUARY 18TH. A
DEEPENING SURFACE LOW AND ITS ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVED BY THE
REGION DURING THE EVENING HOURS OF THE 18TH PRODUCING DAMAGING
WINDS ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. REPORTS OF MINOR ROOF
DAMAGE TO A STRUCTURE...AND MANY TREES DOWN ACROSS LAWRENCE COUNTY
WERE RECEIVED.

CDG

$$