The last few days have been cool and well below normal for August standards in the Tri-State. According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, the last four days have been the coolest on record for the first week of August since 1912. The average high the last four days was 75.3 degrees.
But the meteorologists up at the NWS also noticed something odd when glancing back through the calendar:
Cincinnati (CVG) has now had 3 consecutive days of high temps that have been colder than the high on Feb 24, 2017. DAY/CMH in the mix too! pic.twitter.com/7m6DAEsNti
— NWS Wilmington OH (@NWSILN) August 7, 2017
Yes, Feb. 24 was warmer than the last three days. But let's be honest, 78 degrees isn't normal for that month. The average high that day is generally around 46 degrees.
So, what was going on back in February? February went down with historical levels of warmth and even a record high of 78 on the 24 day of the month. In all, Cincinnati ended the month nearly 10 degrees above average. Obviously, this was far from "normal" for the blistering winter standards here in Cincinnati.
Here's the weather setup back on that date:
Feb. 24, 2017
A strong cold front moved across the Midwest on Feb. 24, funneling in warm, humid air from the south. This warm push was significant enough to push the high to 78. The front triggered showers and strong thunderstorms locally with damaging wind gusts and large hail. Behind the front, temperatures cooled to a high of 52 the next day, which was still above normal.
The NWS described the month of February 2017 as the kickoff to spring instead of the end to the winter season. You can read more about that odd month HERE.
