This winter was drier and warmer than usual in the Quad Cities.
Meteorologist Dave Cousins, from the National Weather Service in Davenport, says 20.6 inches of snow fell from December through February. That's nearly five inches less than normal.
The drier winter weather followed a wet fall. Cousins says adding September and October snowfall to the winter number increases the total to three inches more than average.
The mean temperature for the winter months was 30.4 degrees, or five degrees higher than usual.
So far, he says the forecast for the first half of March is for warmer than normal temperatures, and above average precipitation.
Even though the snow has melted in Illinois and Iowa, the snow pack north of the Quad Cities is similar to last year, but not as deep. But the spring flood outlook for the Mississippi River is still "much above normal," and the severity of flooding will depend on how fast it melts.
Click HERE for the February and winter summaries from the National Weather Service of the Quad Cities.
