The latest storm system is headed out to sea but enjoy the sun Wed. while you can. The next storm in our long string of potent weather systems rolls in by the end of the week with the most widespread rain occurring Fri. afternoon through early Sat.
So Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Tue. meaning 6 more weeks of winter. Of course, that's relative for the First Coast since spring is literally just around the corner as the last avg. freeze south of I-10 is the last week or so of Feb.
This from "Earth Gauge": Groundhog Facts
On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil – the famous weather-predicting groundhog – will emerge from his burrow at Gobblers Knob in Pennsylvania to make his prediction about our winter weather. Scientists know that groundhogs in Pennsylvania hibernate for about 100 days, from November to February. But what if Phil lived in South Carolina…or Maine? Believe it or not, groundhogs living in different parts of the country hibernate for different periods of time. South Carolina’s groundhogs hibernate for 67 days, while Maine’s groundhogs hibernate for 175 days. Scientists aren’t sure yet whether these differences happen because of environmental factors – like varied weather conditions – or if hibernation patterns are genetically-determined.
Think that’s interesting? Here are a few more fun groundhog facts:
Groundhogs are one of the few “true hibernators.” True hibernators can reduce their body temperatures to nearly freezing and lower thier heart rates from as many as 350 beats per minute to just four beats per minute while they sleep away the winter.
Groundhogs – also known as woodchucks – don’t move or “chuck” wood as efficiently as beavers. But…how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? One wildlife biologist estimated that if the typical groundhog’s burrow was filled with wood instead of dirt, the animal would have “chucked” about 700 pounds!
(Sources: Pennsylvania State University, 2009. “Professor studies groundhog hibernation to benefit mankind.”; “The Big Sleep.”; Cornell Chronicle. “Groundhog Day Facts and Factoids.”)
It was a Jan. to remember & one for the record books. Jan. officially goes down as the 6th coldest on record in Jax with an avg. temp. 5 degrees below normal at 48.1 degrees. The first 2 weeks of the month were the coldest 2 weeks in any winter for Jax going back to 1871! This from Jason Hess at our Jax N.W.S.:
Jacksonville Area
Extremes
Lowest Average Temperature degrees F
Days: 1/1 - 1/31
Length of period: 31 days
Years: 1871-2010
Rank Value Ending Date
1 44.0 1/31/1977
2 45.5 1/31/1940
3 46.4 1/31/1981
4 47.5 1/31/2003
5 47.9 1/31/1979
6 48.1 1/31/1970, 1/31/2010
8 48.2 1/31/1985
9 48.5 1/31/1958
10 48.6 1/31/1978
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Gainesville Area
Extremes
Lowest Average Temperature degrees F
Days: 1/1 - 1/31
Length of period: 31 days
Years: 1903-2010
Rank Value Ending Date
1 46.0 1/31/1940
2 48.7 1/31/2003
3 49.0 1/31/1958, 1/31/2010
5 49.4 1/31/1985
6 49.7 1/31/1918
7 50.0 1/31/1988
8 50.2 1/31/1961
9 50.7 1/31/2001
10 51.0 1/31/1905
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BRUNSWICK MALCOLM MCKINNON AP (KSSI)
Extremes
Lowest Average Temperature degrees F
Days: 1/1 - 1/31
Length of period: 31 days
Years: 1948-2010
Rank Value Ending Date
1 42.3 1/31/1977
2 44.8 1/31/1970, 1/31/1981
4 45.5 1/31/1958
5 46.1 1/31/1988
6 46.2 1/31/1978
7 47.0 1/31/2010
8 47.5 1/31/1985
9 47.6 1/31/1979, 1/31/2003
--------------------------------------
ALMA BACON CO AP (KAMG)
Extremes
Lowest Average Temperature degrees F
Days: 1/1 - 1/31
Length of period: 31 days
Years: 1948-2010
Rank Value Ending Date
1 41.2 1/31/1977
2 43.5 1/31/1981
3 43.9 1/31/1958
4 44.3 1/31/1970
5 45.0 1/31/1978
6 45.6 1/31/2010
7 45.7 1/31/1985, 1/31/2003
9 46.0 1/31/1983
10 46.2 1/31/1988
The cold of the first 2 weeks of the month was also a dry time for the First Coast but that abruptly changed for the last half of the month which included a major severe storm outbreak including tornadoes on the 21st. Here are rainfall amounts from around the area thanks to our Jax N.W.S.:
JACKSONVILLE VICINITY... NORTHEAST FLORIDA...
JACKSONVILLE BEACH..... 2.64 LIVE OAK ............
ARLINGTON.............. 3.45 GAINESVILLE ......... 4.54
FORT CAROLINE.......... 2.83 LAKE CITY 2E......... 5.93
BIG TALBOT ISLAND...... FERNANDINA BEACH..... 4.04
LITTLE TALBOT ISLAND... ST. AUGUSTINE LITEHS. 3.96
HIGHLANDS.............. ST. AUGUSTINE ARPT... 1.78
CRAIG FIELD............ 2.96 HASTINGS 4NE......... 5.82
MAYPORT NS............. 3.03 HIGH SPRINGS......... 4.70
JACKSONVILLE NAS....... 2.80 JASPER............... 8.35
BELL 4NW............. 4.70
BEAUCLERC.............. 2.56 BUNNELL.............. 3.87
WESTSIDE............... 3.83 WHITE SPRINGS 7N.....
SOUTH PONTE VEDRA...... 2.53 PALM COAST 6NE....... 6.89
GUANA RIVER ST PARK.... 3.24 STARKE............... 7.70
OCALA................ 5.64
CRESCENT CITY........ 3.80
ORANGE SPRINGS 2SSW.. 2.99
GLEN ST MARY 1W...... 4.11
FLAGLER BEACH........ 4.20
FEDERAL POINT........ 6.34
AMELIA ISL PLANTATION 4.90
JUNIPER SPRINGS...... 2.91
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA...
BRUNSWICK.............. 5.26 ST SIMONS ISLAND..... 4.33
HOMERVILLE 5N.......... 6.88 ALMA................. 4.74
PRIDGEN................ 6.16 BAXLEY 5NNW.......... 6.64
WOODBINE............... 5.89 HAZLEHURST........... 6.85
NAHUNTA 6NE............ 6.15 MANOR................ 5.94
FARGO 17NE............. 6.60 PATTERSON............ 5.52
WAYCROSS 4NE........... 5.90 JESUP 8S............. 5.45
RAINFALL REPORTS ARE PRELIMINARY. CO-OP SITES REPORT A 24 HOUR TOTAL
NOT BASED ON A MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT CALENDAR DAY.
***********
SOME NORTHEAST FLORIDA COCORAHS REPORTS...
ALACHUA COUNTY...
ARCHER 5.5 E................. 1.60
BROOKER 6.6 SSE.............. 6.44
GAINESVILLE 8.1 SW........... 2.71
GAINESVILLE 3.8 W............ 5.21
GAINESVILLE 3.7 SSW.......... 3.57
ARCHER 6.7 NNE............... 4.34
HIGH SPRINGS 3.2SW........... 5.75
BAKER COUNTY...
GLEN ST MARY 6.6 NW.......... 4.10
GLEN ST MARY 1.7 N........... 4.07
SANDERSON 4.9 NNW............ 3.42
CLAY COUNTY...
GREEN COVE SPRINGS 6.2 N..... 4.49
GREEN COVE SPRINGS 6.8 SSE... 4.48
LAKESIDE 2.9 S............... 4.08
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS 7.6 ENE..... 7.42
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS 3.5 ENE..... 6.66
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS 6.9 ENE..... 7.43
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS 9.1 NE...... 7.02
MIDDLEBURG 6.5 NNE........... 3.26
MIDDLEBURG 6.3 NNE........... 3.16
MIDDLEBURG 0.7 SSW........... 3.21
ORANGE PARK 0.7 NNE.......... 2.85
ORANGE PARK 3.0 WNW.......... 3.55
ORANGE PARK 4.8 SSW.......... 3.84
ORANGE PARK 4.7 SW........... 4.30
DUVAL COUNTY...
JACKSONVILLE 3.2 ESE......... 2.93
JACKSONVILLE 6.2 ENE......... 3.45
JACKSONVILLE 7.5 E........... 2.96
JACKSONVILLE 7.3 SW.......... 3.46
JACKSONVILLE 5.9 SW.......... 3.23
JACKSONVILLE 3.8 ESE......... 3.27
JACKSONVILLE 8.8 E........... 3.03
JACKSONVILLE 10.0 WSW........ 3.49
JACKSONVILLE 11.4 ESE........ 2.48
JACKSONVILLE 11.6 ENE........ 2.62
JACKSONVILLE 11.9 N.......... 3.87
JACKSONVILLE BEACH 3.9 WNW... 1.21
JACKSONVILLE BEACH 4.4 WNW... 2.60
JACKSONVILLE BEACH 4.5 W..... 1.46
NEPTUNE BEACH 0.5 NNW........ 2.38
FRUIT COVE 6.1 N............. 1.34
GILCHRIST COUNTY...
NEWBERRY 4.0 WNW............. 4.77
TRENTON 8.0 ENE.............. 4.22
HAMILTON COUNTY...
JENNINGS 5.8 WSW............. 8.59
JENNINGS 4.1 S............... 8.14
JASPER 5.5 S................. 2.79
MARION COUNTY...
BELLEVIEW 6.0 SSE............ 5.34
BELLEVIEW 4.5 SE............. 4.85
BELLEVIEW 4.8 E.............. 5.70
LADY LAKE 4.8 WNW............ 3.67
MICANOPY 3.6 SSW............. 3.44
OCALA 7.8 SSW................ 6.31
OCALA 2.8 SSE................ 4.46
OKLAWAHA 4.9 NE.............. 4.38
SUMMERFIELD 3.1 NE........... 5.91
SUMMERFIELD 2.8 SW........... 4.24
THE VILLAGES 2.6 NW.......... 4.59
THE VILLAGES 2.7 NNW......... 5.00
NASSAU COUNTY...
CALLAHAN 5.0 SSE............. 5.04
FERNANDINA BEACH 1.2 NNE..... 1.15
HEDGES 0.3 ESE............... 4.56
PUTNAM COUNTY...
EAST PALATKA 3.5 NNW......... 7.36
INTERLACHEN 10.4 NNE......... 6.90
SATSUMA 0.2 WSW.............. 5.25
SATSUMA 4.0 NE............... 4.94
ST JOHNS COUNTY...
ST AUGUSTINE SOUTH 2.1 SSW... 4.68
ST AUGUSTINE SHORES 0.7 ESE.. 3.08
SUWANNEE COUNTY...
LIVE OAK 0.4 NE.............. 6.85
LIVE OAK 9.1 W............... 7.61
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA COCORAHS RAINFALL REPORTS...
APPLING COUNTY
BAXLEY 10.0 SE............... 5.91
ATKINSON COUNTY
PEARSON 3.5 NE............... 5.51
CAMDEN COUNTY...
KINGSLAND 2.9 NE............. 5.10
ST MARYS 5.5 N............... 3.27
COFFEE COUNTY...
DOUGLAS 2.5 WSW.............. 5.91
PRIDGEN 1.5 NE............... 5.87
WARE COUNTY...
MANOR 2.1 SE................. 5.98
WAYCROSS 6.3 ESE............. 5.02
The typical Feb. at JIA:
1st 28th
Low/High 42 / 65 46 / 70
Sunrise/Sunset 7:17am/6:04pm 6:54am / 6L25pm - gain 43 min.
Rainfall: 3.15"
