Heat and Fire Weather Concerns in the West

Heat will build over the Intermountain West and the Southwest the next couple of days. Lightning from dry thunderstorms can create new fire starts and combined with gusty winds may cause a fire to rapidly grow in Oregon and northern California. Elevated fire weather conditions are also expected in the Great Basin. Flash flooding will be possible in Arizona and west Texas, especially in burn scars. Read More >

February 2022 was cold and snowy. A handful of low temperature records were set or tied at Hibbing and International Falls, and Hibbing recorded the coldest February on record going by mean average temperature! In general, February was consistently cold throughout the month. Both Duluth and International Falls recorded snowfall a few inches above average, with plenty of clippers and larger storms filling in the gaps between cold spells. Drought conditions have seen some modest improvement with the above normal precipitation.

Looking ahead, the CPC predicts somewhat of a continuation of February’s weather with below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation. Later on this spring, that pattern may change per the 3-month outlook with some above normal temperatures favored. Drought conditions may improve further.