FEBRUARY, 2008 WEATHER & PHENOLOGY IN REVIEW

From the North Shore of Little Rock Lake, Benton County, MN

Jim Hovda, Rice, MN  56367-0265  jhovda.rice@juno.com

N  45  44 .862      W  O94  09  .603

LAST FEBRUARY'S WEATHER:       Also a cold month.   If you'll remember, the first ten days of the month the digital thermometer was below -20 below zero (F) or very close to it.  And, from the 26th of Jan (07) it was below zero for the lows.  A long stretch of very cold weather.    There was a lot more snow.  At the end on the month we received just over 13" of the white stuff.     The end of the month blessed us with highs in the 30's with a 41 degree day on the 28th.   Our January thaw was a month late.  The coldest days occurred on the 4th & 5th with a -24.7 degrees below zero.  We ended the month with 21.2" of snow for the year and a yearly total of 1.96" of precipitation.

WEATHER:       Cold.  It seemed like a record breaker to me so I checked with the good Professor Bob Weisman who is the "king of Weather" at St. Cloud State University.  He told me by e-mail "February 2008 was cold for recent Februaries but only tied for 41st coldest of our 127 Februaries.  We're just not used to it." 

       No Jan or Feb thaw...   Seventeen days saw our low temps go below zero.   The coldest morning occurred on the 21st with a -21.9 degrees below zero (F) reading.  These below zero readings occurred all month with the longest period starting on the 14th to the 23rd.  (The 17th went above zero, WOW!)   On the warm side, nothing to brag about.  Only a few 30's with a high reading 41 degrees on the 26th.   It was in the mid 20's on both the 25th and 27th.   The average low was -2.20 degrees below zero.   Of interest, the average low at the 24th of the month was a staggering -4.04 degrees below zero.  There were a few daily cold temp records set in Northern MN.   Of interest, on the 18th the low reading in the morning was a -3.8 degrees below zero.  In the afternoon the temp rose to a balmy +39.9 degrees.  A difference of about 41 degrees in a 24 hour period.   The next morning it dipped to a -21.3 degrees below zero.  So much for warm weather.

       On the subject of snow - nothing to make note of.  Although we recorded seventeen days with precipitation, we only totalled .69" for the month, and only 6.6" of snow.  Of those, thirteen days I only recorded trace or minute amounts.  The most snow fell on the 14th with 2.9" on the ground and totaling .31" of precipitation.  We ended the month with 6.6" of hard packed snow on the ground for a total of 20.5" for this snow season.

WEATHER RECORDS (FEB):       Coldest here was a -42.2 reading in 1996 while Northern MN recorded a bone chilling -60 degrees  below zero F (& -51 degrees C) in Tower in 1996.  (I remember that!)  Our warmest reading occurred in 1932 with a 58 degree reading while greater MN posted a 73 degree reading in Pleasant Mound. That folks marks a 133 degree difference in temps in the month of February.    No local monthly temp records were set.  The most snow for a Feb here was 21.8" in 1962.

PHENOLOGY:       I'm not sure if this belongs in the weather portion or here in reference to "hoar" frost.  There were three or four days trees and shrubs sported beautiful ice crystals that formed from fog or small water droplets in the air.  They attach themselves to the branches and limbs to form the frost.    This is some of the most beautiful viewing of any winter phenomenon. 

       Birds - My most interesting sighting was a Red-shouldered Hawk.  It's visited the suet on several occasions and I have reports from neighbors who have sighted a large hawk fitting this description.   It is a large hawk having a wingspan of about 40".  It is the first time I've seen this specific species.   The Sharp-shinned Hawk made at least two appearances at the feeder attempting to capture one of the smaller birds feeding.   On both occasions it left empty "clawed."   Pileated, Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers are still at the suet.  I believe there are at least three different Pileated Woodpeckers eating here.  Lot's of Blue Jays, tons of finches & Junco’s, Nuthatches and four Mourning Doves round out the smaller birds.  I've only heard one owl "hooting."   My neighbor, Jim Wainright, has observed two different owls but he's been unable to specifically identify them.  They should be feeding their young as they are the first birds to start the breeding cycle.   On a couple of occasions the Bald Eagle still circles the north end of the lake hunting for food.  And, finally, the wild turkeys are back in the woods directly behind the house.   Jerry Perske and Jim Weber have feeders in the woods to help them thru the winter. 

       The total eclipse of the moon on the 20th was great to watch.  For once it was not overcast.   Even better, Jan and I were able to watch it from the window as it was -21 degrees below zero.  It was quite a sight.

NATURE FACT:       In February we gained 1 hour and 34 minutes of daylight.  SNUGGLING - Snuggling helps birds survive frigid temperatures.  The body heat created by several birds roosting together can warm them through the coldest winter nights.  Three birds snuggling reduces heat loss by one third, so the more the merrier.   Central MN Bird news.

For the soldiers who are in Iraq, if you have nature observations and want them posted, get them to me (however) and I'll do my best to inform our readers.