The meteorological winter of 2009-10 ranked as 6th coldest on record at Paducah
- The winter of 2009-10 was tied for the sixth coldest at Paducah and 13th coldest at Evansville. Records go back to 1937 at Paducah and 1897 at Evansville. Meteorological winter is defined as the December through February period. Below are the preliminary new top ten rankings for Paducah winters:
1. 28.2 1977-78
2. 30.2 1976-77
3. 30.4 1962-63
4. 30.6 1978-79
5. 32.2 1969-70
6/7 32.7 1983-84, 2009-10
8. 33.0 2000-01
9. 33.1 1963-64
10. 33.2 1981-82
- At Paducah, February was tied for the 8th coldest February on record. The average monthly temperature was 32.6 degrees. The much longer period of record at Evansville precluded a top ten ranking there.
- February was the 10th driest February on record at Paducah. The monthly precipitation at Paducah was 1.40 inches. Evansville received 1.58 inches, which did not rank in the top ten.
- Seasonal snowfall is running very close to normal. Through February, snowfall has been about 10 inches at Paducah and 15.2 inches at Evansville. However, March snowstorms can happen in our area. Seasonal snowfall is calculated for every July-June period.
- What was the reason for the persistent cold? While El Nino was originally expected to be the dominant influence on our winter, the lesser-known Arctic Oscillation became the main player. As the graphic below indicates, the Arctic Oscillation was strongly negative much of the winter. Visit the Arctic Oscillation webpage from the National Snow and Ice Data Center to learn more about the Arctic Oscillation.
ARCTIC OSCILLATION INDEX
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