2014-15 Winter Wrap-Up

If you live in the eastern half of the U.S, the fact that meteorological winter ended over the weekend isn’t much comfort. The frigid temperatures, snow, and ice that have been battering the region for most of February are only just starting to let up, and spring weather still seems like a distant hope.

After the record or near-record February cold in many places, it’s easy to forget the relatively warm December that began the season. When you average temperatures over December, January, and February, it turns out that this winter was colder than normal in many places, but not a record-setter anywhere.

The story is different in every possible way when you head out West. The winter did set seasonal records in several Western cities, including Reno, Fresno, Portland, Sacramento, Tucson, and San Francisco, and it was warmer than normal pretty much everywhere.