Track Report and February Precipitation Recap

Skate skiing was excellent yesterday morning and the classic tracks looked pretty fair, but I suspect it is all mashed potatoes now with the rain we've had.  However, it looks like we'll get snow overnight tonight and again tomorrow night, and be below or near freezing so don't store away your skis just yet. Remember also that there are plenty of other venues within an hour or two's drive if you'd like to get some good spring skiing in.

Lee Warnick sends out an interesting monthly report on the precipitation in Rexburg.  You can subscribe to his Google Groups "Rexburg Weather Group" group.
With his permission, I'm copying his email here:

FEBRUARY 2019 PRECIPITATION

Precipitation: 1.92 / 246 percent of average

Snowfall: 20.2 / 223 percent of average

2019 annual precipitation (2 of 12 months): 3.16 / 176 percent of average

2018-19 water year precipitation (5 of 12 months): 5.81 / 117 percent of average

2018-19 season snowfall: 65.0 / 132 percent of average

     • This, indeed, was a noteworthy month. This precip total was the 2^nd most in February in Rexburg weather history, behind only 2.00 inches in 1986. Snowfall was 3^rd most in 48 years and about 2 inches from the all-time February monthly record. 

     • But the number that jumped out most was the 21 days of measurable precip. This broke the all-time monthly record of 20 days, set in May 1991 and May 1995. Notably, those months respectively left 3.46 and 3.65 inches of precip across those 20 days, almost double what we received in February. (Also, May provides 31 days of opportunity instead of 28!) Our February precip came in seemingly constant but generally light doses from wind-whipped, fast-moving systems. If it seems you were clearing your driveway and sidewalk depressingly often: The 20.2 inches of total snow were spread across 17 days of measurable snowfall. 

     • One more metric highlighting our Seattle-like February: On only 3 days did precip not fall from the skies (21 days measurable, 4 days trace) – the 1^st, 12^th and 21^st.  

     • My gut is telling me that we probably did break the February precip and snow records. While I was on a trip the last week of the month, I received photos of an impressive snow dump and descriptions of around 6 inches of snow. When I looked at data from the remote station at the airport, which I use as my official source, that kind of precip wasn’t reflected, not even close. In the days after I returned, I noticed the airport station wasn’t always recording quite what I was observing and what my home station was recording. As temps warmed to the upper 30s and low 40s, and then the sun came out, it melted a large backlog of snow and ice in my rain bucket. The moisture content was 4.09 inches! No doubt some of this dated back to January, but still . . . Do our brains and eyes tell us we experienced an unprecedented February? Yes. Officially? No.