NOAA - December 2018-February 2019 Wettest Meteorological Winter On Record For United States

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Wednesday that “coast-to-coast extreme weather” from December to February resulted in the wettest winter on record in the United States.

Wetter winters are precisely what scientists have predicted as climate change intensifies, Texas Tech climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe told ThinkProgress in an email. Similarly, climatologist Kevin Trenberth pointed out, “a consequence of global warming is that the extremes around the world increase.”

NOAA reported that despite some frigid weather last month, the average temperature of the contiguous U.S. during the winter (December to February) was 33.4°F — 1.2°F above average — “ranking among the warmest third of the record.” In terms of precipitation, NOAA reported that February set monthly rainfall records from Nashville, Tennessee (13.47 inches) to Tupelo, Mississippi (15.61 inches) to Huntsville, Alabama (13.63 inches) “with widespread flooding occurring along rivers and tributaries.”

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February also saw record monthly snowfall totals in several parts of the country — Seattle, Washington (20.2 inches), Pendleton, Oregon (32.5 inches), and Minneapolis, Minnesota (39.0 inches) “all broke February records by impressive margins.” NOAA notes that last month, Eau Claire, Wisconsin not only set the record for the snowiest of any month on record — 53.7 inches — it beat the previous record (set in January 1999) by a stunning 21 inches. Meanwhile, on February 21, Flagstaff, Arizona set its all-time record for snowiest day with a remarkable 35.9 inches — nearly 3 feet.

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https://thinkprogress.org/extreme-weather-wettest-winter-climate-c87c3ab31156/