February weather had its ups and downs

February is often a month of extremes. The first eight days of the month were exceptionally warm. Mid-February was marked by heavy rains and near-record cold.

February’s average high was 59.8 degrees, nearly identical to the normal average high of 60. February’s average low was 33, nearly 3 degrees cooler than the average low of 36.4.  The warmest highs of 83 were on February 3^rd and again on the 8^th.  The coldest temperatures of 16, 11 10, 19 and 18 occurred from the 18^th through the 22^nd of the month.

Total precipitation for the month was just .94” which was 1.54” below normal for February rainfall. Taken together with January’s above-normal 2.62” of rain, Denton Enterprise Airport has recorded 3.56” of rain during the first two months of 2025, nearly an inch below normal (4.42”) through the first two months of the year.

A weakness in the Polar Vortex allowed a polar front to race south into Texas at mid-month.  From a high temperature of 50, Denton dropped to a low of 16 on the 18^th, topping out only in the 20’s on the 19^th and 20^th of the month.

Unlike previous winter invasions, the power stayed on, mostly. TxDOT routinely blocks all express lanes of the freeways whenever the roads are forecast to freeze. Most of the express lanes are not wide enough to allow for a shoulder or breakdown lane, which means just one spinout could block the entire express lane. The state instituted the new policy shortly after the 133-car pileup on I-35W in Fort Worth during the deep freeze of February, 2021.

Outside of a few Flash Flood warnings on the 12^th, no severe weather events were reported in North Texas.

Looking ahead, it’s hard not to admit that “spring has sprung.” The Global Forecast model shows only a modest cold front dropping lows into the 30’s in the second week of March. The European model indicates no significant cold fronts through at least the first two weeks of the month. The average “last killing frost” of the North Texas winter is between March 15^th and the 20^th.

Meanwhile, March begins the North Texas Severe Weather Season. As the earth’s northern hemisphere begins to tilt back toward more direct sun exposure, the northern jet stream migrates south and drags upper-level storm systems across Texas, while surface conditions turn windy and warmer. Today is the best day to prepare for grass fires, wind damage and power outages that could affect your home and safety.