Jonathan Erdman
Published: March 1,2020
A sampling of February 2020 precipitation totals through Feb. 28.
February 2020 precipitation-to-date through Feb. 27 shows the contrast between a Southeast soaking and bone-dry parts of California.
The sharply contrasting Februaries in 2020 and 2019.
February showed an incredible contrast in precipitation across the United States, from the waterlogged Southeast to suddenly bone-dry California.
In the Southeast, it was one of the wettest Februaries on record. A number of locations from Mississippi to the Smoky Mountains picked up over 10 inches of precipitation in the month.
A sampling of February 2020 precipitation totals through Feb. 28.
Starkville, Mississippi, crushed their previous record-wet February - 10.79 inches in 2003 - by almost 4 inches. It was their wettest winter month on record and sixth-wettest month all-time, in records dating to 1891.
The home of Mississippi State University had a staggering four separate days with at least 2 inches of rain in a 13-day period from Feb. 6 to 19. In an average year, they have five such days.
Greensboro, North Carolina, also topped its previous wettest February record - 7.04 inches - which had stood since before the 1929 stock market crash.
This heavy rain sent rivers into flood, including the Pearl River, which crested at its highest level since 1983 in Jackson, Mississippi, swamping homes.
If this sounds like déjà vu, you're definitely onto something.
February 2019 was the wettest February on record in a number of cities in the Tennessee Valley, including Huntsville, Alabama, and Nashville, Tennessee.
In Beckley, West Virginia, the three wettest Februaries on record have now occurred in the past three years, and records date back to 1897.
California Drying
It couldn't be a more different story in California.
February 2020 precipitation-to-date through Feb. 27 shows the contrast between a Southeast soaking and bone-dry parts of California.
A number of locations in Northern California didn't see a drop of rain this February, including San Francisco and Redding.
There is no previous record of a rainless February either at the airport or downtown Sacramento dating to 1857.
San Francisco's only other completely dry February was in 1864, just 14 years after California became a state.
Plenty of dust, pollen and a few dead bugs in our backyard rain gauge.
Rainfall: 0.00"
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February is typically the heart of California's wet season, as the Pacific storm track takes aim, at least occasionally, on the Golden State. It's usually the Bay Area's third-wettest month of the year.
The reason California has been so dry this February is due to a diversion of the jet stream. High pressure aloft near or off the California coast has been unusually strong, pushing the storm track north into the Pacific Northwest.
This same persistent jet-stream pattern has also contributed to the Southeast's repeated soakings in February.
Last year, downtown San Francisco picked up almost 8 inches of rain in February 2019, with rain falling on 17 February days.
The sharply contrasting Februaries in 2020 and 2019.
Given the dry month, moderate drought began to creep back into parts of California, according to the Feb. 25 drought monitor update.
While the state's reservoir levels remained in fairly good shape, recharged by last season's rain and the melting of snowpack in spring, Sierra snowpack has suffered recently, dropping to below 50% of the average for this time of year, according to a survey completed Thursday.
On Friday, a large brush fire broke out on San Bruno Mountain, just north of San Francisco International Airport, an ominous sign during the state's wet season.
Crews are on scene at the top of San Bruno Mountain battling a brush fire. SKY7 shows you how close it is to homes. #BreakingNews
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If California doesn't return to a wetter pattern in March and April before the dry season sets in, it could be another worrisome fall for wildfires in the state.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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