Meteorological winter comes to an end, how does it stack up?

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The past few months of weather have consisted of a variety of weather conditions.

From snow to severe weather and record-breaking temperatures, Meteorologist Jaelyn Borresen takes a closer look at how this meteorological winter compares to previous years.

Another February is in the books for KELOLAND, marking the end of meteorological winter. This past month was colder and drier than average, but how does it stack up to the bigger picture of our seasonal statistics?

This winter brought a range of weather events, from snow to severe storms, but overall, precipitation amounts were relatively low. Eastern KELOLAND received greater amounts of snow, with Sioux Falls receiving 11.4 inches, nearly seven of which fell in early February.

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Central South Dakota saw lighter snowfall as Pierre accumulated 7.3 inches, marking it the 16th driest winter. Despite the lack of snow, Pierre ended up being one of the areas with the most precipitation, but it still fell below average at just over 1.2 inches.

Worthington stood out for with their driest winter on record with under a quarter of an inch of precipitation, while Yankton recorded just over a quarter of an inch, making it their second driest winter. Overall, this winter served as little relief to the ongoing drought conditions.

With little snow on the ground, it played a role into our extreme temperature swings this season. It wasn’t long before the frigid cold took hold in northeastern KELOLAND, where the first sub zero temperatures in the Aberdeen area were recorded in late November. Mobridge and Worthington were not far behind as they tied at 26 days. This season also saw unusually warm temperatures, with areas like Rapid City having 26 days at or above 50 degrees.

As low-pressure systems brought us winter-like weather this week, it won’t be long before it feels like spring again as highs warm into the 60s next week.