WINTER 2001: COOLER THAN NORMAL WINTER IN MUCH OF THE U.S.; WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD IN ALASKA; EXTREMELY DRY CONDITIONS IN MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST AND NORTHWEST
Preliminary data indicates this was the first colder-than-average winter since 1993-1994, the 26th coolest winter on record in the U.S. This is in contrast to the previous two winters which were the warmest. On the other hand, the average statewide winter temperature in Alaska was the warmest since records began in 1918. As a whole, the nation had
the 13th driest winter, particularly in the Northwest and Southeast
with Florida experiencing its worst long-term drought
since the 1930's. In contrast, above normal precipitation fell
in much of the central U.S. during the winter with widespread
record snowfall stretching from Amarillo, Texas, to Buffalo,
New York, in December. The nationally averaged December through February temperature in the contiguous U.S., based on preliminary calculations, was 31.8 degrees F, 1.2 degrees F cooler than average, making this the 26th coolest winter since national records began in the winter of 1895-96. This follows the two warmest U.S. winters on record, 1999-2000 and 1998-99, and marks the first colder-than-average winter since 1993-94. The winter began with record or near-record cold across much of the nation in December as arctic air spread from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast behind a series of strong cold fronts. Severe winter storms and record snowfall fell in many cities from Amarillo, Texas, to Buffalo, New York. Milder winter conditions were generally present across the U.S. during January and February, with eastern and southern regions of the nation warmer than average in February. For the winter season, the eastern two-thirds of the nation was generally cooler-than-average with near-normal temperatures in much of the West and Northeast. Conversely, preliminary temperature reports indicate that Alaska experienced its warmest winter since statewide records began in 1918. This continues a trend to much warmer conditions in Alaska with winter temperatures rising at a rate greater than 0.3F/decade during the past 80 years. Winter temperatures across the contiguous U.S. have increased at a rate approximately 0.1F/decade during the same period. For the nation as a whole, the winter of 2000-2001 was the 13th driest in the past 106 years. This contrasts with a general trend toward higher precipitation amounts that has been observed during the past 50 years. Drier-than-normal conditions prevailed across a large part of the eastern and western sections of the nation, most notably in the Southeast and Northwest, while precipitation from the front range of the Rocky Mountains eastward to the Mississippi River was above average. North Carolina, Washington, and Oregon experienced their 2nd driest winter on record. Following its driest year on record, Florida remained extremely dry in the winter season (3rd driest winter). The cumulative effects of almost three years of below-average rainfall in Florida have resulted in the worst long-term drought since the 1930's, as measured by the Palmer Drought Index. Impacts from the drought include wildfires, record low lake levels (including Lake Okeechobee), and emergency mandatory water-use restrictions in many Florida communities. Over 1,300 wildfires have burned more than 83,000 acres across Florida since the first of the year. Much of the Pacific Northwest experienced the fourth dry month in a row in February 2001. This persistent dryness occurred during what is typically the wet season, and resulted in the second driest November-February on record during the 2000-2001 season. Only the winter of 1976-77 was drier in this area of the nation. Reservoir levels continue to be generally below normal, and mountain snowpack in many river basins continues to be less than 70 percent of normal at the end of February with totals less than 50 percent of normal in some basins. Global: Warmer-than-average land surface
temperatures covered much of Europe and the Mediterranean from
North Africa to the Barents Sea during the three-month season.
Above-normal temperatures stretched from Alaska to eastern Canada
and were also observed across a large part of South America.
Conversely, extreme cold and heavy snowfall affected northeast
China and parts of Mongolia causing the loss of hundreds of thousands
of livestock. Below-normal temperatures also covered a large
part of central Russia and northern Australia.
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