February 1998 LaVale MD Weather Summary
Observer Nate Mullins

Special Observations:
F=fog
T=thunder
H=hail
DW=damaging wind
S=sleet
G=glaze

	Temperature, F	Precip
Date	Max	Min	Liquid	Solid	Special Obs

1	47	14
2	44	19
3	39	27
4	33	28	1.15	 7.0	S
5	40	30	 .70
6	42	28
7	40	20
8	43	22
9	45	22
10	46	23
11	52	27	 .15
12	43	36
13	34	23
14	36	30	   T	   T
15	43	20
16	41	25	 .34	 0.2	S,G
17	41	30	 .75
18	52	38	 .12
19	48	40
20	46	35
21	41	36	 .10
22	50	33
23	33	31	1.55	 2.5	S
24	42	30	 .24	   T
25	48	34
26	52	36
27	60	27
28	51	37	 .16		T

Tot	44.0	28.6	5.26	 9.7
Ext	60	14	1.55	 7.0
Date	27	1	23	 4

Mean Monthly Temp 36.3F
Sleet days 3
Glaze days 1
Thunder days 1

Significant Events

4: Heavy wet snow overnight 4" fell by 7am.  Wet snow mixed with sleet and rain at times 7.0" by evening.
   Changed to all rain by 6:30pm total 1.15" precip fell.
5: Periods of rain overnight and through the day another .70" fell 1.85" total from this storm.
16: Sleet and freezing rain began about 3pm mixed with rain by 4pm and continued through 10pm.  Coating of
    ice on everything.  Total precip .34" fell.
17: Shower overnight .11" fell.  Periods of rain on and off through the day the heaviest falling this
    afternoon total .75" fell.
23: Rain began overnight and changed to wet snow and sleet mix by 6am.  Heaviest precipitation fell this
    evening.  Still a rain/snow mix at midnight total snow/ice 2.5" and liquid precipitation 1.55" fell.
24: Rain with some snow mixed gradually ended overnight another .24" fell.  Gusty winds today.
27: Mild high 60F
28: Mild with a couple of rain showers, some thunder observed this afternoon .16" rain.

Summary:

Another month with above normal temperature and precipitation.  Snowfall was near normal but most of it
fell on the 4th.  The major winter storms on the 4th-5th and 23rd-24th accounted for most of the month's
precipitation.  Temperatures were mild nearly all month long with no real extremes.

Additional notes/records

4th: Daily record precipitation 1.15" and also a daily record snowfall of 7.0"
17th: Daily record precipitation 0.75" (later broken in 2003 with 0.78")
23rd: 1.55" of precipitation but not a daily record, as 1.70" of precip fell on this date in 1994.

February was the 2nd wettest on record with 5.26" of precipitation.
February also had the 3rd warmest mean minimum temperature on record (28.6 F).

The Winter of 1997-98 was the 3rd warmest winter on record with a mean temperature of 35.1 F.  This was
quite a turnaround after the 2nd coolest Fall on record in 1997.