What started out as a huge snowfall deficit for the WInter 2017-2018 season has now quickly turned into a bit of a surplus thanks to our active pattern over the last several days.
A record nine consecutive days of measurable snowfall was observed in Rockford, breaking the old record of 7 consecutive days back in 1994.
At times parts of the area were in the midst of a seasonal snowfall deficit in excess of nearly a foot as the region failed to materialize any significant snow-making systems from November through much of January.
That deficit has now grown to a surplus for the month for both Moline and Rockford, our nearest official observation sites. Both locations are showing nearly a foot surplus compared to the monthly February normal amount of snowfall.
For the season though, Rockford is still barely hanging onto that surplus. The seasonal total there has reached 27″ with the normal being 26.6″. Time will tell if we can hold onto this surplus, but the opportunities for additional snowfall will surely be decreasing over the coming weeks as we get closer to spring.
This pattern has brought along its fair share of headaches when it comes to forecasting. I for one am glad we have finally managed to get ourselves out of it. Now we will anxiously see how fast, or not so fast this snow will be melting over the coming weeks. Any quick warmups could cause issues with river flooding, especially since most of the Rock River still has appreciable amounts of ice currently. Stay tuned!
