Snowy Finish to 'Snow-less' Meteorological Winter

The air temperature is 31 degrees F with a 29-degree dew point under a cloudy sky in the Lake Hills section of Fairfield. pic.twitter.com/vraGgJvRhj

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorek) February 28, 2023

Winter Storm Warning in Effect for Southwestern Connecticut

Six-to-eight inches of snow are expected across most of Fairfield and New Haven counties, with the exception of the western "panhandle," through Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST. That equates to nearly three-quarters of an inch of precipitation. pic.twitter.com/uaFXZazX7U

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorek) February 27, 2023

Paul

Snow Capped Wild Week of Weather 13 Years Ago

Record rainfall, localized flooding, over a half-foot of snow, and school cancellations punctuated a four-day stretch from Tuesday through Friday, February 23 through 26, 2010.

According to the National Weather Service office at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, nearly a half-foot of snow (five inches) fell five years ago today, which set a new record for the date, eclipsing the old mark of three inches established in 2007. However, the heaviest snow fell West of Fairfield, with one spotter who lives in the Greenwich backcountry measuring 19 inches.

Sue Drexler of Greenwich sent two photos from the town's backcountry. The first is of Lissy with Holly and Maddy playing in the snow, and the second is of Sue and Holly cross-country skiing. It was a Winter wonderland in the Gateway to New England.

Here is a sampling of the snowfall totals from across southwestern Connecticut from Friday, February 26. Remember, the average snowfall for the entire month in our region is 7.6" based on 40 years of climatology.

• Wilton: 11.3"
• Greenwich: 10.6"
• Darien: 10.3"
• New Canaan: 9.1"
• Stamford: 8.1"
• Norwalk: 7.8"
• Bridgeport: 5.0"

Prior to the snow, the bigger weather story was the heavy rain. Nearly five inches (4.68") of liquid precipitation was recorded from Tuesday through Friday, highlighted by nearly two-and-a-half inches (2.36") of rain February 25, which established a record for the date. In fact, the first of two storms that week delivered 1.82" of rain cumulatively from Tuesday through Wednesday. Keep in mind that the normal average liquid precipitation for February is 3.15".

Here is a breakdown of the liquid precipitation recorded each day during the week of February 22 through 26, 2010:

• Monday: 0.02"
• Tuesday: 0.72"
• Wednesday: 1.10"
• Thursday: 2.36"
• Friday: 0.50"

Paul

Sun's Angle Much Higher in the Sky Two Months Into Winter

I'm sure you've noticed by now that the days are getting longer. It is especially obvious during the late-afternoon. In fact, today's sunrise and sunset times at Bridgeport are at 6:42 a.m. and 5:32 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, respectively. That's quite a difference from just less than two months ago --- on the Winter Solstice --- when sunrise and sunset happened at 7:15 a.m. and 4:26 p.m., respectively.

Not only have we gained over an hour of daylight during the evening, but you may have also noticed that the Sun is much higher in the sky. Consider that on the first day of Winter, the Sun was positioned at 23 degrees and 26 minutes South of the celestial Equator. That's when the Sun is lowest in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere. However, by January 15, the Sun was located at 21 degrees and 16 minutes South of the celestial Equator.

Today, the Sun is located at 11 degrees and 34 minutes South of the celestial Equator. The Sun will be at the celestial Equator on March 21, the first day of Spring, and then move higher above the Equator for the next three months. It will be located at 23 degrees and 26 minutes North of the celestial Equator on the first day of Summer.

The Sun's rays are becoming stronger every day, too. The average high and low temperatures today at Bridgeport are 41 and 26 degrees, respectively. The daily average high and low will climb to 49 and 34 degrees, respectively, by the first day of Spring. By April 15, the average high and low will be 57 and 40 degrees, respectively. 

Meteorological Winter officially ends a week from Tuesday, February 28. Meteorological Spring begins the following day.

Paul

Classic Nor'easter Delivered Over a Foot of Snow to Region Nine Years Ago Today

A classic February Nor'easter delivered heavy snow and strong winds to southwestern Connecticut nine years ago today, nearly paralyzing local roads and closing schools. The heavy snow pushed the season's total well over four feet. The snow began falling lightly just after 1 o'clock Thursday morning, February 13, 2014, and the heaviest snow fell between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. Here is the surface map from 7 a.m.

There were white-out conditions during the morning with snow rates of one-to-three inches an hour. Another round of light snow developed early the following morning, padding the snow totals. Cumulatively, nearly a foot-and-a-half of snow fell in Darien and Fairfield, and over a foot of snow was reported in New Canaan, Weston, Norwalk, Stamford, and Sikorsky Memorial Airport. Here are the snowfall totals from February 13 & 14, 2014, for southwestern Connecticut.

The storm's cumulative snow total of 12.2" at the airport pushed the monthly snowfall to 27.8" through February 14. It also marked the fifth day with measured snow in two weeks. Local climatologist Ralph Fato created this video showing the key highlights of the storm. The snow tapered off later in the afternoon.



Paul

Today Marks Winter's Halfway Point in Northern Hemisphere

Today, Friday, February 3, 2023, marks the exact halfway point of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter is the shortest of the four seasons — lasting 88.99 days — because Earth is at its closest point in its orbit around the Sun. The Vernal Equinox is 45 days away. pic.twitter.com/7ZxD9SfypY

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorek) February 3, 2023

Paul

Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter

Punxsutawney Phil has spoken: "I see a shadow on my stage. No matter how you measure, it's six more weeks of Winter weather." pic.twitter.com/94mNQj6iNr

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorek) February 2, 2023

Paul

Record High Average Temperature for January Established at Bridgeport

A record high average temperature for January of 39.9 degrees F was established at the Bridgeport climate station. It broke the previous record high average of 36.9 degrees set in 2017. pic.twitter.com/18ls6zkVbG

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorek) February 2, 2023

Paul