Special Weather Statement
Dept Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences UCLA
10:35 AM PDT Tuesday, 20 March 2011...Delayed report

This February was much drier than normal. The monthly total was only 0.24 inch.
It was the driest February since 1997(0.17 inch fell that year). Normal rainfall
for the month is 5.06 inches. This month ranked as the 8th driest on record for 
February. There were only three measurable rain days in the month(seven is normal).
The first rain event of the month occurred on the 7th. Light rain fell during the
mid/late morning hours, but only 0.02 inch rain fell that day. Some light showers
occurred early in the evening that day, but only a trace amount was recorded(on
the 8th...using Greenwich Mean Time convention). Some early morning showers fell
on the 11th, but it was only a trace amount. Occasional drizzle/light rain fell
early to mid-morning on the 13th. The total was barely measurable at 0.01 inch.
The "biggest" storm of the month occurred on the 15th. Sprinkles began early in
the morning. Showers fell from late morning till mid-afternoon. Intense rain
fell between 11:12-11:18 AM. A maximum rainfall rate of 1.8 inches per hour occurred
for a minute on two occasions: 11:13-11:14 and 11:15-11:16. Still, the storm total
was just 0.21 inch. The final rain event of the month occurred on the 27th. A light
shower fell early in the afternoon and dropped a trace amount. No rainfall records
were set ot tied this month.

This February was slightly warmer than normal. The average temperature for the month
was 59.3 degrees(0.4 degree above normal). It was the highest average since 2006(60.3
degrees that year). The average temperature ranked tied for the 19th warmest February 
(first in 1957). The average maximum temperature of 68.4 degrees was 1.4 degrees above
normal. It ranked tied for 14th warmest in this category(also in 1947 and 1984). The
average minimum temperature of 50.2 degrees was actually 0.5 degree below normal. It
ranked tied for 28th warmest in the category(first in 2000). Like last year, only one
day this month reached at least 80 degrees(normal is three days). The highest temperature
of the month was 82 degrees(9th). Two days this month(27th,28th) failed to reach 60
degrees(normal is five days). That was the fewest such days since 2007(two days). 
There were five days(14th-16th;28th-29th) where the minimum temperature was 45 degrees
or lower. That was one more day than normal, but it was six days fewer than last year.
The lowest temperature of the month was 39 degrees(28th). That temperature tied the
record minimum for the date(first in 1951 and repeated in 1971). It was also the first
time the campus recorded a temperature below 40 degrees since 8 December, 2009(38 degrees).
The minimum on the 29th(42 degrees) also tied the record minimum for the date(first in 1944).

This winter(period defined as December through the following February) was much warmer
than normal. The average temperature was 60.1 degrees. Normal is 58.9 degrees. It was
tied for the 8th warmest winter in campus history(first occurrence in 1966-67), and
it was the warmest since the winter of 2002-03(60.7 degrees...6th warmest winter). Four
of the warmest winters(including this year) have occurred within the last decade. The
last cooler than normal winter was in 2008(57.3 degree average).

The month did not have any days where visibility was observed or estimated at one mile
or less.

Significant wind(at least 25 mph gusts) occurred on six days this month. The first
occurrence was on the 8th. Brisk northwest to north-northwest wind blew between 7:27 AM
and 9:54 AM. The peak sustained wind of the day was a northwest wind to 25 mph. This
occurred at 8:39 AM. The peak gust was 34 mph(same time). Occasionally brisk southwest
to west-southwest winds occurred late morning to late afternoon of the 13th. The maximum
wind gust of the day was southwest at 29 mph(2:35 PM, 3:43 PM). Occasionally breezy weather
started mid-afternoon of the 15th and continued through early morning on the 17th
(northwest to north wind). The maximum wind gust on the 15th was northwest to 30 mph(11:15 PM).
A sustained north wind to 25 mph occurred at 2:51 PM on the 16th, but it gusted to 35 mph.
The peak wind of the month was a gust to 43 mph at 10:15 AM on the 16th(north). The maximum
wind on the 17th was a northwest gust to 29 mph(1:30 AM). The final significant wind event
occurred on the 27th. Occasionally brisk south winds started mid-morning that day, but it
shifted to southwest by the afternoon. The peak gust that day was southwest at 27 mph(1:18 PM).
[Note: Sustained wind refers to a one minute average while gust is instantaneous.]

J. Murakami

Rainfall in inches
24 hour rainfall measured from Midnight to Midnight, Greenwich Mean Time
Normals are defined using a 30 year mean from 1981-2010
UCLA records date back to 1932
All times given in Pacific Standard Time