After a cold February, could we see a windy and dry spring?

Despite the warm temperatures this last week, February is going to wrap up with an average monthly temperature that’s around 3 to 5 degrees below normal, according to climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley.

“We had anywhere from 11 subzero nights in the southern part of the state up to 20 subzero nights in the northern part of the state,” Seeley said on Morning Edition with Cathy Wurzer. “We were the coldest place in the nation six times during the month. But we also set some high temperature records.”

Looking ahead, Seeley said there are a lot of forecast models suggesting that we may have an early spring. We may also see drought persist into the spring in areas of the state that have been drier since last fall.

“The way the weather pattern is shaping up, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had an early spring with a good deal of wind and, unfortunately, perhaps a good deal of dryness,” he said.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Seeley about the subzero temperatures and the warmer weather ahead in their weekly weather chat. Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player above.

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