United States - weather in February

February is the last month of winter in the United States.
The temperatures increase slightly compared to January, however, it is still very cold in the inland areas of the north, while on the west coast and in the south, the temperatures are mild. South Florida (see Miami) is a world apart, in fact it is quite warm even in this month. The Great Lakes, on the border with Canada, can freeze to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the temperature. Generally, the maximum extent of the ice is reached between the end of February and the beginning of March.
Cold spells can occur in almost the whole territory, which can significantly lower the temperature. In general, only the coast of California (see San Francisco, Los Angeles) and southern Florida (see Miami) are sheltered from cold spells. In the Great Plains the blizzard, the icy north wind, can blow, while in the Great Lakes area and in the north-east, in New England (see Boston, Portland in Maine), and sometimes also in New York and Washington, there can be snowstorms.
In the Rocky Mountains, there are several resorts where you can practice winter sports.
On the eastern side of the mountains (see Helena, Denver), the chinook can blow, a mild, dry wind capable of melting snow.
Precipitation is frequent in the western part of the Pacific Northwest, in the states of Washington and Oregon (see Seattle), but also in northern California, even though it decreases a bit compared to January. On the south-central coast of California (see San Francisco, Los Angeles), the rains are gradually rarer, however, winter is the rainiest season and there can be waves of bad weather.
In the Great Basin, the arid western plateau (see Utah, Nevada and southeastern Oregon), precipitation is quite scarce, however, it can occur in the form of snow. In the Great Plains (see Fargo), east of the Great Basin, light snowfalls generally occur as well. In the deserts of the southwest (see Las Vegas, Phoenix), the rains are rare.
Instead, in the central-eastern part of the United States, precipitation is more frequent and abundant, and in the northern part, in the Great Lakes area and in New England, it often occurs in the form of snow.

The sea is warm enough for swimming only in the southern tip of Florida (see Miami).




See also: United States, the weather in January - March
The climate of United States