February was much warmer than average as the monthly mean temperature was 44.3 °F, a +3.7 °F departure.  
As warm as February has been at the Glen Allen Station, it is surprising that last February was a little warmer.   
There were 18 days the minimum temperature dropped below freezing and 0 days that the maximum didn’t climb above freezing. 
The 3.36 inches of rain for February was a +1.32 inch departure when compared to the three year average.  
February of 2011 had a -1.47 inch deficit in precipitation. 
The maximum rainfall recorded in a day was 1.38 inches on the 29th which was the greatest daily rainfall since December 7, 2011.
Measurable precipitation occurred on 13 days but was light except for the 19th and 29th when 66% of the month’s precipitation occurred.
The total frozen precipitation was 5.2 inches for the month recorded on the 11th, 19th, 20th giving a negative 0.2 inch departure. 
The 0.5 inch snow on the 11th was associated with a thunder snow from the passage of a strong cold front. 
It was Glen Allen’s first thunder snow. (Records since August 2008)
The maximum temperature for February was 81 °F on the 24th and the Richmond International Airport also had 81 °F 
which was only 2 °F from the highest temperature on record since 1897 for February. 
There have been only four days in Richmond’s recorded history with higher temperatures. (daily records since 1897)  
The lowest minimum this month at West Henrico Co. - Glen Allen was 18 °F recorded on the 12th and 13th. 
The maximum wind gust was 46 mph from the south that occurred on Feb. 24th at 1503 hours. 
This occurred in a thundershower preceding a cold frontal passage and was the strongest wind since Irene on August 27th, 
2011 and set a new record wind speed for February. 
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.52 inches on the 3rd and the lowest was 29.33 inches on the 24th.  
The winter has been very mild as December was the 8th warmest, 
January was the 20th warmest, and February tied for the 16th warmest month since 1881. 
 The winter tied for the fourth warmest winter since the beginning of mean temperature records in 1881.

		
		Winter  Season for Glen  Allen  - DEC,  JAN,   FEB	

	 	 Glen		 	Glen 			Glen	
	TEMP	Allen	TEMP	Precip.	Allen	Precip.	Snow	Allen	SNOW
Month	 °F	3YrAve	Dep.	Inches	3YrAve	Dep.	Inches	3YrAve	Dep.
Dec.	46.0	39.9	6.1	3.21	4.89	-1.68	0	5.2	-5.2
JAN	42.1	34.9	7.2	1.95	2.77	-0.82	T	4.8	-4.8
FEB	44.3	40.6	3.7	3.36	2.04	1.32	5.7	5.9	-0.2
SUM	132.4	115.4	17.0	8.5	9.7	-1.2	5.7	15.9	-10.2
AVE.	44.1	38.5	5.7	2.84	3.23	-0.39	1.9	5.3	-3.4






	Winter Season for Richmond International   Airport  Dec, JAN, Feb
	
 	TEMP	KRIC	TEMP	Precip.	KRIC	Precip.	SNOW	KRIC	SNOW
Month	 °F	30YrAve	Dep.	 	30YrAve	Dep.	 	30YrAve	Dep.
Dec.	46.3	41.0	5.3	2.03	3.26	-1.23	0.0	2.1	-2.1
JAN	42.7	37.9	4.8	1.73	3.04	-1.31	0.0	3.9	-3.9
FEB	44.7	40.9	3.8	3.22	2.76	0.46	4.0	3.4	0.6
SUM	133.7	119.8	13.9	6.98	9.06	-2.08	4.0	9.4	-5.4
AVE.	44.6	39.93	4.6	2.33	3.02	-0.69	1.3	3.1	-1.8

					

March was the warmest and driest on record at Glen Allen as the monthly mean temperature was 58.2 °F, a 9.7 °F departure.  
The 2.31 inches of precipitation for March was a -2.44 inch departure.  
The maximum rainfall recorded in a day was 0.68 inches on the 24th. 
The total snowfall was only 1.7 inches for the month recorded on the 5th witch was a -1.7 inch departure. 
This March at the Richmond International Airport was +0.1 °F warmer than the 30 year mean temperature for April. 
Glen Allen had only 3 days the minimum temperature dropped below freezing and 6 days that the maximum temperature was 80 °F or more.  
The maximum temperature for March was 85 degrees F on the 15th and 23rd.
 The maximum wind gust of 35 mph occurred on the 8th at 1551 hours from the SSW.
The lowest barometric pressure was 29.53 inches on the 3rd and the highest pressure was 30.71 inches on the 6th 
which was the highest since December 24, 2009 when it was also 30.71 inches. 
 
                               RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECORDS IN THE FOLLOWING SECTION – 
                              When a month is so much above average as this March, three years of records at this Glen Allen 
                                Station, mean little so the longer 115 year Richmond data base was used for comparison.

1.	The average maximum temperature for March was 69.9 °F with only March 1945 being warmer 
	with 71.0 °F in the past 115 years.
2.	The average minimum temperature for March was 46.7°F which is now the 115 year record for March. 
	The average minimum in 1945 was 46.2 degrees F.
3.	The mean temperature was 58.3 °F which was only 0.2 °F from the warmest March on record in 1945 with 58.5 °F. 
	The mean temperature for March was 9.7 °F above the 30 year mean temperature for March and
 	was +0.1 °F warmer than the 30 year mean temperature for April.
4.	This March had 19 days that the high temperature was greater than or equal to 70 °F 
	which tied the 115 year record with 19 days in 1945. Richmond had 8 days of greater than or equal to 80 °F; 
	only 1945 had more with a total of ten days.
5.	This March had only 3 days that the temperature was 32 °F or less; the ave. is 10.5 days. 
	Only 3 Marches in the past 115 years had less. (1945,1921,1903)
6.	Two daily March records were broken - the record high temperature for March 15 is now 86 °F.  
	The previous record was 82 °F in 2007 and 1972.
7.	On March 25th the second daily record was tied with the low daily temperature range of 4 °F which also occurred 1965.
8.	Only 13 Marches in the past 115 years have had a maximum temperature for March higher than the 86 °F.
9.	March, with 2.51 inches of precipitation, was the 35th driest in the past 125 years.
10.	On March 28th a daily temperature range of 41 °F occurred that was only 1 °F shy of the record set in 1960.  

April was cooler than March by 2.5 °F. 
The monthly mean temperature for April was 55.7 °F. 
April was wetter than average and had a departure of +0.62 inches based on the average of the past 3 years.
However there was no measurable rain for the first 17 days of the month.  
All of the precipitation for April fell in 12 days during the last half of the month. 
The maximum rainfall recorded in a day was 1.44 inches on the 22nd.
Measurable precipitation occurred on only 8 days. 
The high temperature for April was 88 °F on the 16th and there were 3 days that the temperature was 85 °F or higher. 
The lowest minimum was 33 °F recorded on the 12th and frost killed some of my neighbor’s plants. 
There were four other mornings with very light scattered frost but no plants were harmed. 
The maximum wind gust was only 31 mph from the north that occurred on the 5th at 0023.  
The highest barometer recorded for the month was 30.30 inches on the 28th 
which was the lowest maximum pressure recorded at this station for April. 
The lowest barometric pressure was 29.38 inches on the 23rd 
which is the highest minimum pressure recorded at this station for April.
Richmond International Airport
The Airport had 90 °F which was the highest maximum temperature for April on the 16th 
and the daily mean temperature for the 16th of 76.5 °F tied with 2002 for the highest mean for the date.  
The lowest minimum temperature at the airport was 36 °F on the 24th and 25th that tied for 2nd place.
 Only 1901 and 1929 had a higher April monthly minimum temperature. 
Their April mean temperature was 58.5 °F which was a departure of +0.3 °F 
and was the 42nd warmest April since 1880 although it was still the coolest April since 2007. 
For comparison, last year was the 7th warmest April with a mean temperature of 61.8 °F and 
2010 was the fourth warmest April since 1880 with a mean temperature of 62.2 °F. 
Their precipitation total was 2.40 inches which was a departure of -0.87 inches. 
April was the 40th driest April in the past 125 years. 
The greatest April precipitation in one day was 1.59 inches on the 22nd. 
This ranked as the 19th greatest daily precipitation in the past 125 Aprils.