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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
This winter was the warmest on record for Cedar Rapids
February temperatures across Eastern Iowa reached record highs in the 70s, largely thanks to the El Niño effect
Mar. 4, 2024 4:25 pm, Updated: Mar. 5, 2024 7:57 am
This winter was the warmest on record for Cedar Rapids and ranked in the top-10 warmest winters for the Midwest at large.
Although our calendars mark the spring equinox as the end of winter, the meteorological winter stretches from December to February. Cedar Rapids’ 1931-32 winter previously clinched the title of warmest with an average temperature of 30.8 degrees. The average temperature this past winter topped that at 31.1 degrees.
It was the second warmest winter on record for Burlington and the fourth warmest for Dubuque. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan likely saw their warmest winters, too.
February ended the meteorological season with a bang: With an average temperature of 37 degrees, it marked the hottest February on record for Cedar Rapids, overshadowing the previous record set in 1998 at 36.7 degrees. It followed higher-than-normal temperatures for the city seen in December and January, even with the few cold spurts that punctuated the months.
Average Temperature in February
The National Weather Service reports this February was the warmest — or close to the warmest — on record for several Iowa cities.
— Burlington: 40.1 degrees
— Cedar Rapids: 37 degrees (record)
— Des Moines: 39.9 degrees (record)
— Dubuque: 36.2 degrees (record)
— Iowa City: 38.5 degrees
— Waterloo: 36.6 degrees
Source: National Weather Service
Temperatures across Eastern Iowa reached record highs in the 70s between Feb. 26-27. They spiked to 77 degrees in Burlington.
For the Midwest as a whole, February was 11.5 to 13 degrees above normal. Precipitation totals were 1 to 1.6 inches below normal, and snowfall totals were 8 to 10.5 inches below normal. It was the fifth driest February in recorded history for Cedar Rapids, and the driest on record for Burlington.
The abnormally warm weather hails from the strong El Niño effect spilling across the U.S., National Weather Service meteorologists previously told The Gazette. The phenomenon brings warmer-than-average weather to the northern United States, and the Gulf Coast and Southeast are typically wetter than usual.
The El Niño showing signs of weakening, though. Forecast teams predict weather patterns may transition to neutral during the spring.
A La Niña event — which historically tends to follow strong El Niño events — may develop this summer. La Niña is El Niño’s colder counterpart caused by strong winds, which results in warmer and drier winters in the southern United States and cooler temperatures in the North.
Some researchers project that El Niño and La Niña events may grow stronger and more frequent due to human-induced climate change.
Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.
Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com
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