The winter of 2014-15 has wrapped up, and all things considered, it has proved to be another brutal winter in our area.
A total of around 45 inches of snow fell this season; approximately 150 percent of our 30-inch average. Temperatures also averaged several degrees below normal this season.
Very cold weather in November forced many into thinking that the winter season would begin early. In fact, the high temperature on Nov. 18 was only 19 degrees; the first time on record that we didn’t reach 20 degrees on that date. In addition, several light snow-producing systems moved through the region, producing a total of around 6 inches for the month.
However, December was significantly milder than its preceding month. In fact, temperatures torched on Christmas Eve; reaching 51 degrees with rain, resulting in a green Christmas. Only a trace of snow fell the entire month, which was the first time the Monroe area didn’t record measureable snowfall in the month of December since 1889.
January proved to be cold, but not brutally cold. Temperatures managed to make it into the double digits each day that month.
February was downright insane in terms of cold temperatures and even snowfall. Our largest snowstorm of the season occurred on Feb. 1, when 14 to 15 inches of snow fell. That single snowstorm accounted for nearly one-third of our total season snowfall. The cold weather was the biggest story however, as the mean daily temperatures throughout the month were nearly 15 degrees below the monthly average, making it the second coldest February on record.
The month of March was been fairly tame in terms of winter weather. On March 11, we reached the 50-degree mark for the first time since Christmas Eve. Happy Spring, everyone!