Temperature Highlights - February

• The February 2010 temperature for the contiguous United States was 32.4 degrees F, which is 2.2 degrees below the long-term average.
• Cold air in the wake of several reinforcing Arctic air masses dominated much of the U.S. during February, creating temperatures that were much-below average in the Deep South and below average in the Plains and Mid-Atlantic States. Both the South and Southeast climate regions experienced their seventh coldest February on record. Meanwhile, upper-level patterns contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in the Northwest and Northeast climate regions.
• Several southern states had an average temperature that ranked among their ten coldest for February. Florida had its fourth coldest, Louisiana its fifth coldest, and Alabama, Georgia, and Texas each had their sixth coldest. It was the seventh coldest February in Arkansas, while both Mississippi and South Carolina experienced their eighth coldest.