A Cold, Snowy Winter for Most
This winter was record snowy for Providence, RI, and Islip, NY, and among the 20 snowiest winters for another 16 of the Northeast's 35 major sites. A record-setting blizzard pushed February to be Providence's all-time snowiest month and among the 20 all-time snowiest months for six additional major sites. Despite this, February and winter were drier than normal for most areas. For several areas, this February and winter were the coldest in about a decade.
Read more in the NRCC BlogNortheast News
Improvements in the Mid-Atlantic
The U.S. Drought Monitor released on Thursday, February 26 showed drought and/or abnormally dry conditions > improved in several areas this week, particularly parts of the Mid-Atlantic. For much of the Northeast, though, conditions were unchanged.
- Severe drought was erased from most of West Virginia and Maryland.
- Moderate drought contracted in places like southern Delaware, southeastern New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania, New York’s Long Island, Rhode Island, and southeastern Massachusetts.
- Abnormal dryness shrank in coverage in southeastern West Virginia and on the Delmarva Peninsula.
- Seven-day streamflow ranged from much below normal to much above normal.
- Reservoir and/or lake levels remained below normal in places like New Jersey.
- Groundwater levels were normal or lower for a large portion of the Northeast, with at least one well in every state reporting record low levels.
- The short-term outlooks for March 3-11 predict above-normal precipitation and near- or above-normal temperatures for most of the Northeast, which could keep conditions from deteriorating or possibly provide some relief.
Website Highlights
Weather Station Data
Weather Station Data includes location-specific information, such as wind data, evapotranspiration, and daily almanacs.
CLIMOD 2 is a user-friendly website to find single-station and multi-station climate products for locations accross the country. For example, the Seasonal Ranking report produces a graph and table of extremes or other summaries for a specified period for each year.
Go to CLIMOD 2State & Regional Analyses
These provide several map types, regional climate summaries, snow survey data, and drought information.
The Monthly Maps offer a variety of monthly precipitation and temperature departure maps for any given month for the Northeast region or a selected state.
Go to Monthly Map pageAnalyses for Industry
Analyses for Industry shows products the NRCC has created through partnerships with various industries.
The Roadway Freezing/Thawing page has cumulative freezing and thawing index maps for Maine, New Hampshire, and the Northeast region. The Minnesoata Department of Transportation has recommended guidelines for applying and removing winter weight premiums and spring load restrictions based upon these indices.
Go to Road Freeze/Thaw PageWebinars & Workshops
Webinars & Workshops provides recordings and presentations from the monthly webinar series, as well as information on past and upcoming workshops.
The Northeast Regional Climate Center hosts a monthly webinar series with NOAA affiliates to address timely weather topics.
Go to Monthly WebinarsPublications & Services
Publications & Services includes the NRCC blog, quarterly outlooks, as well as other reports and publications.
The Quarterly Outlooks are seasonal climate highlights and outlook for the upcoming season for the Eastern, Region, Great Lakes, and Gulf of Maine. Published in March, June, September and December.
Go to Quarterly Reports