Sign In Become a Member
Donate
Home Page Reports

February 2026 Summary: Tenth Snowiest on Record

March 3, 2026

Blue Hill Observatory February 2026 Summary:  February 2026 was generally cold with much more snowfall than normal and average sunshine. The approximated…

Agreement required — click “Accept & Continue” below to review and accept the Data Use & Privacy Policy

Access to this content requires acceptance of our Data Use & Privacy Policy.

True-color visible satellite imagery of the Blizzard of 2026 off the coast of New England near mid-day of 23 February 2026. NOAA imagery courtesy of the College of DuPage (weather.cod.edu).

Blue Hill Observatory February 2026 Summary: 

February 2026 was generally cold with much more snowfall than normal and average sunshine. The approximated 24-hour mean temperature for the month of 26.1 deg F was 0.5 degrees colder than the 1891-2020 130-year average for February, and it was 3.1 degrees colder than the 1991-2020 30-year average. The average maximum temperature of 34.7 deg F was 2.3 degrees colder than the 30-year normal, and the average minimum temperature of 18.3 deg F was 1.2 degrees colder than the 30-year normal. After a cold start to the month during the first ten days, it remained close to average through the end of the month. The highest temperature was 51F on the 28th, and the lowest temperature was -2F on the 8th. February mean water vapor pressure, which is an absolute measure of water vapor in the air, was 3.4 mb, which corresponded to a mean dew point of about 20F. This amount was slightly below the long-term mean water vapor pressure for February of 3.7 mb, which equals a mean dew point of about 22F. The total precipitation was 2.97 inches, which was 1.03 inches less than the 30-year normal. There were frequent light to moderate snowfalls during the month, until the arrival of the very impactful Blizzard of 2026 on the 22nd-23rd. This storm brought 1.99 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation, which was the greatest in 24-hours for the month, and 24.8 inches of snowfall. Blizzard conditions with strong winds occurred for several hours at the Observatory.  This storm was the fifth largest snowstorm ever observed in February at Blue Hill, and it tied as the eleventh largest snowfall for any month of the year. Parts of southeastern New England received all-time record amounts of snow of 30-38 inches. Snowfall rates reached 2-3 inches per hour at the Observatory and exceeded this rate at other locations. The February total snowfall was 35.9 inches, which was 17.7 inches more than average. Snow depth on the ground was 15 inches or higher all month, and the snow depth reached a season high of 28 inches on the morning of the 24th. The average 7 AM snow depth for February was 18.5 inches, which was the sixth highest on record for the month. The highest sea-level pressure during February was 30.22 inches on the 22nd, and the lowest sea-level pressure was 29.30 inches during the passage of the very intense ocean storm on the 23rd. The mean wind speed was 11.8 mph, which was the second lowest on record for the month, and the prevailing wind direction was from the northwest. The highest wind gust was 68 mph from the northeast during the blizzard on the 23rd. February sunshine was near average with 146.8 hours of bright sunshine, or 51 percent of possible, which was one percent more than the long-term average for the month.

BHO Greatest Snowstorms, inches (1885-2026):

1) 38.7 on 24-28 Feb 1969
2) 30.8 on 26-28 Jan 2015
3) 30.3 on 3-5 Mar 1960
4) 30.1 on 6-7 Feb 1978
5) 30.0 on 31 Mar – 1 Apr 1997
6) 29.8 on 6-8 Mar 2013
7) 28.1 on 7-10 Feb 2015
8) 27.6 on 28-29 Jan 2022
9) 26.6 on 8-9 Feb 2013
10) 25.3 on 25-27 Jan 2026
11) 24.8 on 17-18 Feb 2003
   24.8 on 22-23 Feb 2026

BHO Greatest Calendar Day Snowfall, inches (1885-2026):

1) 27.4 on 24 Feb 1969
2) 25.2 on 27 Jan 2015
3) 24.6 on 23 Feb 2026
4) 23.0 on 13 Mar 2018
5) 20.3 on 12 Dec 1960
6) 20.0 on 17 Feb 2003
7) 19.0 on 20 Jan 1978
8) 18.6 on 16 Feb 1958

BHO Greatest February Monthly Snowfall, inches (1885-2026):

1) 83.6 in 2015
2) 65.4 in 1969
3) 51.3 in 2003
4) 45.2 in 1967
5) 40.4 in 1920
6) 39.7 in 2013
7) 39.0 in 2021
8) 37.0 in 1893
9) 36.0 in 1899
10) 35.9 in 2026

BHO Greatest February Monthly Mean Snow Depth, inches (1895-2026):

1) 34.0 in 2015
2) 27.1 in 1920
3) 25.5 in 1948
4) 20.2 in 2011
5) 20.0 in 1978
6) 18.5 in 2026
7) 17.2 in 1961
8) 17.1 in 1904
9) 15.6 in 1969
10) 15.5 in 1926

BHO Greatest February Snowstorms, inches (1886-2026):

1) 38.7 on 24-28 Feb 1969
2) 30.1 on 6-7 Feb 1978
3) 28.1 on 7-10 Feb 2015
4) 26.6 on 8-9 Feb 2013
5) 24.8 on 22-23 Feb 2026
6) 24.7 on 17-18 Feb 2003
7) 22.2 on 16-17 Feb 1958
8) 21.6 on 14-15 Feb 2015

BHO Greatest February Calendar Day Snowfall, inches (1885-2026):

1) 27.4 on 24 Feb 1969
2) 24.6 on 23 Feb 2026
3) 20.0 on 17 Feb 2003
4) 18.6 on 16 Feb 1958
5) 17.1 on 7 Feb 1978
6) 16.5 on 2 Feb 2015
7) 16.9 on 9 Feb 2017
8) 16.1 on 8 Feb 2013

BHO Lowest February Mean Wind Speed, mph (1885-2026):

1) 11.7 in 2021
2) 11.8 in 2026
3) 12.0 in 2020
   12.0 in 2024
5) 12.6 in 2014
   12.6 in 2023
7) 12.7 in 2005
   12.7 in 2012

Mike Iacono
Chief Scientist
Blue Hill Observatory

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterPost on X
FollowFollow us
PinterestSave
←
→
Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center · Legal

Data Use & Privacy Policy

Please read the full Policy before accessing Observatory data · Effective January 1, 2025

Notice: By accessing, downloading, or using any Blue Hill Observatory data or services, you unconditionally accept and agree to be bound by this Policy in its entirety. If you do not agree, you may not access or use Observatory data.
Effective January 1, 2025 · Milton, Massachusetts · bluehill.org
Part I — Data Use Policy
§ 01

Ownership and Proprietary Rights

All observational records, compiled datasets, metadata, database structures, and related materials provided by the Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center are the exclusive property of the Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center. The Observatory has maintained continuous weather observations at the summit of Great Blue Hill since 1885, and the entirety of that record — its compilation, structure, curation, and organization — constitutes a proprietary database protected under applicable United States law, including copyright law and common law database protections.

All rights not expressly granted in this Policy are reserved by the Observatory. No access to or use of Observatory data shall be construed as a waiver of any rights or as a license to use data beyond the scope expressly stated herein.

§ 02

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. For interactions with international users, this Policy shall apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable local law.

Any dispute arising from or related to this Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. By accessing Observatory data, all users consent to personal jurisdiction in Massachusetts and waive any objection to the venue or inconvenience of such forum.

§ 03

Permitted Uses

Observatory data are made available for the following limited, non-commercial purposes only:

  • Personal study and analysis
  • Educational classroom use
  • Student projects
  • Non-commercial academic research
  • Publication of analyses, figures, models, or conclusions derived from the data, subject to the attribution requirements of Section 4

All other uses require prior written authorization from the Observatory.

§ 04

Attribution Requirement

Any use of Observatory data in any published, presented, or publicly distributed work must include the following verbatim acknowledgment:

“Data provided by the Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, Milton, Massachusetts. Continuous weather observations since 1885.”

Failure to include proper attribution is a material violation of this Policy.

§ 05

Prohibited Uses

Unless explicitly authorized in writing, Users may not:

  • Resell, license, sublicense, or commercially exploit Observatory data in any form
  • Redistribute the dataset in whole or in part to any third party
  • Publish the dataset for download by third parties
  • Host, mirror, or archive the dataset on any external website, repository, or storage service
  • Upload the dataset to any public or institutional data repository
  • Provide the data through APIs, automated services, or subscription platforms
  • Incorporate the data into any commercial product, software, application, or service
  • Use the data for AI or machine learning systems intended for commercial use or external distribution
  • Use the data to create derivative datasets that enable reconstruction of the underlying observations
§ 06

Commercial Licensing

Organizations seeking to use Observatory data for commercial purposes must obtain a license prior to any such use. Licensing inquiries: data@bluehill.org.

§ 07

Automated Access

Automated scraping, bulk harvesting, or systematic downloading of Observatory data is strictly prohibited without prior written authorization.

§ 08

Enforcement and Remedies

Violation of this Policy may result in immediate revocation of data access, pursuit of legal remedies available under United States law, and referral to applicable authorities. The Observatory reserves all rights to seek injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees in connection with any unauthorized use of its data.

Part II — Privacy Policy
§ 09–10

Scope & Information Collected

This section governs the collection, use, storage, and disclosure of personal information from visitors to the Blue Hill Observatory website and users of its data services. The Observatory may collect contact information (name, email, organization) when voluntarily submitted, usage data including IP addresses and pages visited, and data download records.

§ 11–12

How We Use Information & Retention

Information is used solely for: responding to inquiries and licensing requests; monitoring and enforcing compliance with this Policy; improving website performance; and communicating Observatory news to opted-in users. The Observatory does not sell, rent, or share personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. Data access records may be retained indefinitely for compliance and enforcement purposes.

§ 13

International Users and Data Transfers

The Observatory is located in the United States. International users acknowledge their information will be processed in the United States under U.S. law. Users requiring specific data processing agreements under non-US law must contact data@bluehill.org before accessing data.

§ 14–16

Cookies, Security & Children’s Privacy

The Observatory website may use cookies for analytics and functionality. By continuing to use the site, users consent to cookie use. The Observatory implements reasonable measures to protect personal information but cannot guarantee absolute security. Observatory data services are not directed at children under 13.

Part III — General Provisions
§ 17–20

Modifications, Severability, Entire Agreement & Contact

The Observatory reserves the right to modify this Policy at any time. Updated versions will be posted at bluehill.org. Continued use of Observatory data following any modification constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy. This Policy constitutes the entire agreement between the User and the Observatory. Questions and licensing inquiries: Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, Milton, Massachusetts — data@bluehill.org

By accessing, downloading, or using any Blue Hill Observatory data or services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Policy.
Effective January 1, 2025 · Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center · Milton, Massachusetts
↓ Scroll to read the full Policy — the agreement checkbox will unlock at the bottom
Main Menu