Tag Archives: Columbus Ohio climate

Winter 2016-2017 Review

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Winter 2016-2017 Review Columbus, Ohio

What most of Winter 2016-2017 looked like in Ohio.

The Winter 2016-2017 Review supports that the season was one of the warmest, least snowy winters on record. Depending on your viewpoint, that was either a really good or really bad thing.

Temperature and snowfall ranking data goes back to the winter of 1878-1879. Snow depth ranking data goes back to 1940.

December-February Only
Average High: 44.4 7th Warmest
Average Low: 29.5 6th Warmest
Mean: 37.0 6th Warmest
Precipitation: 8.55″ 49th Wettest
Snowfall: 7.6″ 13th Least Snowy
Average Daily Snow Depth: 0.1″ 2nd Lowest
32 or Below Highs: 17 11th Fewest
32 or Below Lows: 54 5th Fewest
Measurable Precipitation Days: 43 10th Most
Measurable Snowfall Days: 10 6th Fewest
Deepest Snow Depth: 3″ on December 14th
Days with 1″+ Snow Depth: 7 5th Fewest

Entire Cold Season: October-April
Average High: 54.8 1st Warmest
Average Low: 36.7 5th Warmest
Mean: 45.8 1st Warmest
Precipitation: 19.28″ 67th Driest
Snowfall: 9.3″ 8th Least Snowy
Average Snow Depth: 0.1″ 2nd Lowest
32 or Below Highs: 18 8th Fewest
32 or Below Lows: 80 5th Fewest
Measurable Precipitation Days: 86 19th Most
Measurable Snowfall Days: 15 6th Fewest
Deepest Snow Depth: 3″ on December 14th
Days with 1″+ Snow Depth: 8 5th Fewest

Average High By Month
October 2016: 69.3 17th Warmest
November 2016: 57.7 7th Warmest
December 2016: 38.7 38th Coldest
January 2017: 43.5 14th Warmest
February 2017: 51.8 1st Warmest
March 2017: 52.1 36th Warmest
April 2017: 71.1 1st Warmest

Average Low By Month
October 2016: 49.1 14th Warmest
November 2016: 36.3 26th Warmest
December 2016: 26.2 50th Coldest
January 2017: 30.1 8th Warmest
February 2017: 32.6 4th Warmest
March 2017: 34.1 32nd Warmest
April 2017: 48.3 1st Warmest

Mean By Month
October 2016: 59.2 12th Warmest
November 2016: 47.0 13th Warmest
December 2016: 32.4 44th Coldest
January 2017: 36.8 12th Warmest
February 2017: 42.2 1st Warmest
March 2017: 43.1 35th Warmest
April 2017: 59.7 1st Warmest

Precipitation By Month
October 2016: 1.73″ 45th Driest
November 2016: 1.02″ 13th Driest
December 2016: 3.09″ 49th Wettest
January 2017: 2.83″ 53rd Wettest
February 2017: 2.63″ 51st Wettest
March 2017: 5.39″ 15th Wettest
April 2017: 2.59″ 44th Driest

Snowfall By Month
October 2016: 0.0″ Least Snowy
November 2016: Trace 2nd Least Snowy
December 2016: 5.4″ 40th Snowiest
January 2017: 1.6″ 13th Least Snowy
February 2017: 0.6″ 4th Least Snowy
March 2017: 1.7″ 27th Least Snowy
April 2017: Trace 2nd Least Snowy

Average Snow Depth By Month
October 2016: 0″
November 2016: 0″
December 2016: 0.3″
January 2017: Trace
February 2017: 0.1″
March 2017: Trace
April 2017: 0″



Maximum High By Month
October 2016: 83 on the 18th
November 2016: 80 on the 1st
December 2016: 69 on the 26th
January 2017: 67 on the 12th
February 2017: 78 on the 24th
March 2017: 77 on the 30th
April 2017: 85 on the 26th and 30th

Record Highs
-The 83 on October 18th tied the record for the date set in 1938.
-The 80 on November 1st tied the record for the date set in 1950. This is also a tie for the warmest temperature ever recorded in November.
-The 79 on November 2nd tied the record for the date set in 1897.
-The 75 on November 18th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 73 set in 1954.
-The 69 on November 26th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 62 set in 1889 and 1982.
-The 67 on January 12th tied the record for the date set in 1916.
-The 64 on January 17th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 62 set in 1952.
-The 66 on February 18th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 63 set in 2011.
-The 72 on February 23rd was a record for the date, beating the old record of 66 set in 1905 and 1986.
-The 78 on February 24th was a record for the date in 3 ways: 1. It beat the old daily record of 72 set in 1961. 2. It beat the record for the warmest February temperature ever of 75 set on 2/26/2000. 3. It broke the record for the warmest temperature for meteorological winter (Dec-Feb) of all-time, beating the old record of 76 set on 12/3/1982.

Minimum High By Month
October 2016: 52 on the 22nd
November 2016: 35 on the 20th
December 2016: 14 on the 15th
January 2017: 16 on the 6th and 7th
February 2017: 25 on the 3rd
March 2017: 29 on the 14th
April 2017: 49 on the 1st

Maximum Low By Month
October 2016: 69 on the 18th
November 2016: 56 on the 2nd
December 2016: 48 on the 26th
January 2017: 47 on the 17th
February 2017: 59 on the 24th
March 2017: 58 on the 25th
April 2017: 63 on the 16th and 19th

Record Maximum Lows
-The 69 on October 18th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 65 set in 2007.
-The 54 on February 22nd was a record for the date, beating the old record of 51 set in 1930.
-The 52 on February 23rd was a record for the date, beating the old record of 51 set in 1930.
-The 59 on February 24th was a record for the date, beating the old record of 50 set in 2000.
-The 58 on March 25th tied the record for the date set in 1949.

Minimum Low By Month
October 2016: 35 on the 25th
November 2016: 21 on the 22nd
December 2016: 4 on the 15th and 16th
January 2017: 6 on the 7th
February 2017: 9 on the 4th
March 2017: 15 on the 15th
April 2017: 32 on the 8th

Highest Daily Precipitation By Month
October 2016: 0.74″ on the 19th
November 2016: 0.36″ on the 28th
December 2016: 1.07″ on the 17th
January 2017: 0.80″ on the 3rd
February 2017: 0.76″ on the 7th
March 2017: 1.53″ on the 26th
April 2017: 0.80″ on the 9th

Highest Daily Snowfall By Month
October 2016: 0.0″
November 2016: Trace on the 19th and 20th
December 2016: 3.2″ on the 13th
January 2017: 0.9″ on the 5th
February 2017: 0.6″ on the 8th
March 2017: 0.6″ on the 13th
April 2017: Tract on the 6th and 7th

Deepest Snow Depth By Month
October 2016: 0″
November 2016: 0″
December 2016: 3″ on the 14th
January 2017: 1″ on the 6th
February 2017: 1″ on the 9th and 10th
March 2017: 1″ on the 14th
April 2017: 0″

For more winter season records and local weather information, visit the following links.
Winter Season Records
Wilmington National Weather Service

Other Winter Reviews
Winter 2015-2016
Winter 2014-2015



The 1901 Mega Cold Front

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1901 mega cold front

The 1901 mega cold front was a massive wake-up call after a relatively tranquil, if not cool, fall. Temperatures through November and early December 1901 had been persistently below normal. 24 days in November had been below normal, and but for a few days very early in December, this pattern continued. However, beginning on December 11th, temperatures began to rise ahead of an approaching weather system. By the 13th, temperatures reached record highs in Columbus when they spiked at 65 degrees. The following day started equally warm with a record high of 65. However, a change was coming.

To the northwest of Ohio, temperatures were plunging rapidly as a deep, cold high pressure system was being pulled south. Dispatch headlines warned of the record-breaking cold.

A powerful cold front would move through late on the 14th, and temperatures began to plummet. By midnight, the temperature had dropped all the way down to just 14 degrees, a single day drop of 51 degrees! A driving rain accompanied the frontal passage, but quickly changed over to heavy snow that accumulated 3″-5″ across the area.

On the 15th, the temperature continued to fall, albeit more slowly, and by midnight the reading was -4. This mega-cold front had produced a 69-degree total drop in Columbus, which made it one of the strongest cold fronts ever to move through the Ohio region.

The weather map on December 14, 1901, as the front began pushing through Ohio.

The front would bring a major pattern change. Every day from the 15th-21st featured highs in the teens, which set many daily low maximum records, some of which still stand more than 100 years later.

The winter of 1901-02 was generally cold and snowy in the Ohio Valley, but no future front that winter would come close to December 14-15th of 1901.

To view more local and current weather, visit: Wilmington National Weather Service
And for more historic December records, check out: December Weather Records



December 2012 Weather Recap

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December 2012 weather recap Columbus, Ohio

Snow totals in the area from the December 29, 2012 snowstorm.

For this December 2012 weather recap, we’ll quickly review what was probably one of the strangest months ever for weather. The first three weeks were extremely warm, being almost 10 degrees above normal. The last 10 days cooled off, but not enough to make up for the warmth. The mean was 39.4 degrees, or 5.9 degrees above normal, and December ended up being the 10th warmest on record.

Although the month was very wet from the beginning (3rd wettest), there was also only a trace of snowfall through the 20th, and it looked like the month might end with below normal snowfall. Then 4 separate snow events dropped 14.9″ the last 10 days, making the month the 4th snowiest December of all time. Not only that, but two of the snowfalls (5.9″ and 4.9″) were two of the top 20 snowfalls for a December.

December 2012 will definitely go down as one of those months that defied expectations.

There is so much weather history to be discovered in Columbus. The Wilmington National Weather Service is a good place to look for current weather in any month.