Portland set a new record for the warmest meteorological winter.
The period measured was December 1 through the end of February. The record mean temperature refers to the total average temperature of each day. While this past winter barely eclipsed the previous record set back in 1957-1958, February 2015 blew away the record for the second month of the year. Last month's mean temperature of more than 5 1/2 degrees above average may be a hard record to beat! Every day last month except for the first, averaged above normal.
It may surprise you to know that February precipitation was actually .05 inches above normal with a total of 3.71 inches. The first nine days of the month saw heavy rainfall at times.
The Mt. Hood snowpack continues to hold near 30 percent of average for this time of year. It is noteworthy that total moisture on the mountain has likely been well over 70 percent of normal, but much of the precipitation has been rain, not snow. Simply put, Mt. Hood is having a warm temperature crisis this season, not a moisture deficit. Warm weather over the Northwest is producing high snow levels, bringing rain, not snow.
Meteorologist Rod Hill, follow me @
