Parkersburg had a warm February, but March may be different

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - February is now behind us and after taking a look back, it was a very warm month. The first few days of the month started off below average with temperatures in the 30s, but that would not last long. After passing the 4th of February, the thermometer climbed above average and stayed there for most of the month. The normal high averaged out for the entire month sits at 44.4°F. This year, temperatures averaged out to 55.4°F. Out of the 28 days this month, four of them sat above 70°F. There were 24 days with temperatures above their respected average daily high.

Temperatures in the month of February sat well above average.(WTAP)

In terms of precipitation, it started out dry. The first day of the month with any measurable rainfall was on the 7th. The most rainfall in one day was on the 16th with 0.87 inch of rain. In total, Parkersburg received 2.61 inches of rain. The average for the month is 3.11 inches. This left the area slightly below average. However, taking all of that rain and adding it to January still puts us above the current yearly pace. The average total of February and January combined is 6.38 inches. Currently, we are an inch above that.

Parkersburg fell slightly below average in rainfall for the month of February.(WTAP)

Heading into March, these conditions seem to flip according to the latest monthly outlook from the Climate Prediction Center. The is a slight chance that temperatures will be below average and precipitation will be above average for the whole month. Taking a look at our 7-day forecast, we are going to start the month on the wet side as plenty of rain is expected for this Friday. However, temperatures continue to remain slightly above average going into next week. The average March precipitation total currently sits at 3.22 inches and the average high temperatures is at 54.2°F.