...February 2008 Climate Summary...
February 2008 will go down as one of the wettest on record for a good portion of the Ozarks and in fact it was the wettest on record at the Springfield-Branson National Airport. The strong storm systems which the area has been experiencing much of the Winter continued to batter the region during the month of February. While January 2008 had a record tornado outbreak for the area, February 2008 had a severe weather and tornado outbreak of it's own on the 5th. The month of February 2008 will likely go on record as having the most tornadoes for the month of February on a national scale.
Locally, the increased clouds and precipitation for the month kept temperatures cooler than normal throughout the area. All but the extreme southeast portion of the Springfield County Warning Area of responsibility (CWA) had above normal precipitation for the month.
There were several big weather events that occurred during the month of February 2008, including two more significant ice storms, a severe weather and flooding event, and a widespread flooding event. For more information on some of these events, click on the links below...
Ice / Sleet Storm of February 11th-12th, 2008
February 16th-17th, 2008 Flood Event
February 21st, 2008 Ice Storm
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Station
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Temperature (mean)
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Precipitation (total)
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Springfield
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34.9 (43rd coolest)
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6.41 inches (wettest on record)
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2.6 degrees below normal
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4.13 inches above normal
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Joplin
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36.8 (28th coolest)
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3.82 inches ( 9th wettest)
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2.1 degrees below normal
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1.56 inches above normal
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West Plains
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35.5 (18th coolest)
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4.86 inches (6th wettest)
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2.6 degrees below normal
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1.97 inches above normal
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Vichy
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33.7 (14th coolest)
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4.36 inches (wettest on record) ***
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2.0 degrees below normal
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2.94 inches above normal ***
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***Precipitation for Vichy does not include data for the 12th through the 15th due to severe icing and power loss to the observing equipment.
February 2008 Precipitation Departure from Normal
February 2008 Average Temperature Departure from Normal
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List of February 2008 Records
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Date
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Station
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Record
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02/04/08
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Springfield
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Record high tied at 76 degrees.
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Joplin
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Record high of 78 degrees
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West Plains
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Record warm minimum of 53 degrees
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Vichy
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Record warm minimum of 54 degrees
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02/05/08
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Springfield
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Record rainfall of 1.87 inches.
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Vichy
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Record daily rainfall of 1.97 inches.
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02/11/08
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Joplin
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Record rainfall of 0.89 inches.
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West Plains
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Record rainfall of 1.43 inches.
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02/16/08
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Springfield
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Record rainfall of 1.64 inches.
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Joplin
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Record rainfall of 1.19 inches.
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West Plains
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Record rainfall of 1.09 inches.
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02/21/08
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Joplin
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Record rainfall of 0.87 inches. (Water equivalent of snow)
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Month of February
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Springfield
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Record rainfall of 6.41 inches for the month.
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Vichy
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Record rainfall of 4.36 inches for the month.
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Normal Conditions for the Upcoming 3 Months
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Springfield
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High
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Low
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Precip.
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Snowfall
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March
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57.6
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35.3
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3.82
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2.9
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April
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67.3
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44.0
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4.31
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0.4
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May
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75.4
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53.7
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4.57
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0.0
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Joplin
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High
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Low
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Precip.
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Snowfall
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March
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59.1
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37.7
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3.53
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1.2
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April
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69.2
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46.6
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4.36
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0.0
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May
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76.6
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55.8
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5.12
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0.0
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West Plains
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||||
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High
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Low
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Precip.
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Snowfall
|
|
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March
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58.8
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34.3
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4.78
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2.1
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April
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68.8
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43.2
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4.35
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0.2
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May
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76.3
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52.5
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4.62
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0.0
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Vichy
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||||
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High
|
Low
|
Precip.
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Snowfall
|
|
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March
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56.0
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35.3
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3.22
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2.0
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April
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67.0
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45.2
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4.20
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0.6
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May
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74.5
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54.7
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4.47
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0.0
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What can be expected for the next 30 days?
The 30 day forecast for March from the Climate Prediction Center indicated Above normal temperatures for southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas and Near to Slightly above normal precipitation mainly for the Ozarks.
Spring- Monthly Normals for Springfield
| March | April | May | |
| Precipitation | 3. 82" | 4.31" | 4.57" |
| Avg High | 57.6 | 67.3 | 75.4 |
| Avg Low | 35.3 | 44.0 | 53.7 |
Spring- Monthly records for Springfield
| March |
April | May | |
| Precipitation | 9.09" in 1935 |
12.15" in 1945 | 16.15" in 1943 |
| Record Avg High | 57.6 in 1910 |
63.1 in 1954 | 72.3 in 1962 |
| Record Avg Low | 32.5 in 1960 |
48.5 in 1907 | 57.7 in 1924 |
Spring- Average Wind Direction for Springfield
March
April
May
What can be expected this Spring? The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has issued their latest forecast for the Winter season.
Temperature Precipitation
For information about local climate forecasts, the National Weather Service issues Local 3-Month Temperature Outlooks based off of the CPC forecasts.
For the latest local climate outlook go to the Springfield L3MTO outlook page.
For information concerning Ag weather in Missouri go to the Missouri Ag Weather web page from the University of Missouri.
For additional information concerning:
The Spring Equinox visit the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Upcoming monthly normals and records: Local Climatology for the Missouri Ozarks and southeast Kansas
This months Climate Calendar from the Midwest Regional Climate Center.
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Monthly Climate Summaries
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2008
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2007
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2006
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