February 2026 – Cold with Near Normal Precipitation Across Delaware

February Temperatures

Preliminary data indicates that the statewide average temperature in February was 32.3^o F, which is 4.8^o F below the 1991-2020 average value of 37.1^o F (Figure 1).  February 2026 was the 34^th coldest February since observations began in 1895.   Daily temperatures in February began with a cold spell that lasted from the 1^st through the 9^th, with temperatures bottoming out on the 8^th and 9^th across the State (Figures 2a, 2b, 2c).  The latter two-thirds of the month saw warmer temperatures, but not enough to bring the monthly average temperature back to normal. 

February Precipitation

Delaware’s statewide precipitation for February 2026 averaged 2.84 inches, 0.07 inches below the 1991-2020 average of 2.91 inches (Figure 3).  Precipitation in February 2026 was near the average of all 132 February precipitation observations since 1895.

Statewide Spatial Anomalies

Data from the Delaware Environmental Observing System (DEOS) show that temperatures were uniformly cold across the State, with many locations seeing negative departures of between 3^o F and 4^o F (Figure 4).  A significant snowfall event took place across Delaware on February 22^nd, dropping over 10 inches of snow across much of the southern one-half of the State, with a maximum of 15.5” recorded in Dagsboro, DE (Figure 5).

National Anomalies

Temperatures were below normal across much of the Atlantic Coast (Figure 6), while the western three-quarters of the United States saw much above normal temperatures, with portions of the northern Great Plains seeing positive temperature departures of more than 9^o F.  Precipitation was generally below normal in the eastern one-half of the country, especially in the lower Mississippi Valley, while portions of California and the northern Great Lakes saw above average amounts (Figure 7). The 500 hPa height pattern for February showed an anomalous jet stream ridge covering the western two-thirds of the United States (Figure 8), and a jet stream trough along the Atlantic Coast contributing to the temperature anomalies across those regions.

Global Anomalies

February 2026 ranked as the 5^th warmest February on record for the globe since 1850.  Global temperatures were 2.12^o F above the 1901-2000 mean.  Of particular note this month was a zone of colder than normal temperatures across much of the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (Figure 9).

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