February Is US Winter Storm Peak Much Like September Is For Hurricane Season

Semis Narrowly Avoid Snowy Crash In Missouri

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Winter storms in the United States are usually most frequent in February, somewhat analogous to other seasonal peaks for hurricanes and tornadoes.

W​inter's last full month is often the most active: A winter storm is any weather event in which significant snow and/or ice, sometimes accompanied by strong winds, is expected to create hazardous conditions like challenging travel or tree damage and power outages.

Despite the name, winter storm season stretches from fall through spring, when there's at least a possibility of some cold air in place to allow snow or freezing precipitation to accumulate.

T​he Weather Channel has been naming winter storms since the early 2010s. In examining the over a decade's worth of data, we found they most often happen in February, which averaged about six named storms. T​he number of February storms has ranged from as few as four to as many as eight since 2014.

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W​hy February: These are just averages, of course. Any single winter season can have weather patterns that are either favorable or unfavorable for winter storms, at times.

T​his February snowstorm maximum matches with the peak of major Northeast snowstorms.​ There are also parts of the Plains, Rockies Front Range, and even the South in which February is typically their snowiest month.

While the coldest time of year in much of the U.S. is before February, cold enough air for snow and ice can still be expansive over the Lower 48 during the month, refrigerated by typically expansive snow cover.

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O​ther seasons have their peaks: February is to winter storms as September is to hurricane season.

A​s we've discussed before, while there is a six-month Atlantic hurricane season, the most activity usually happens in September,​ as the graph below illustrates.

Tornadoes can occur any time of year conditions are favorable, sometimes bunched in major outbreaks over a few days.

But when looking at average monthly tornadoes on a national scale, spring, particularly May, stands out as a peak.

T​he year 2024 was the poster child for this. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center confirmed 530 tornadoes touched down in May 2024, almost 30% of what was over 1,800 tornadoes in a very active year.

S​o, the next time you notice a parade of February winter storms across the U.S., don't blame a groundhog. It's typical for February.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Facebook and Bluesky.