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December snowfall records were set in numerous American cities,
including Oklahoma City,
Philadelphia
and Washington, D.C.
However, the most notable storms arrived in February.
Two blizzards struck the mid-Atlantic within a week of each other
to start the month on February 5-6 and 9-11 respectively.
When looked at together, they were rated a Category Five storm on the Northeast Snow Impacts Scale (NESIS),
the highest possible rating.
"Snowmageddon," as it became to be known,
was only the third such classified storm in NESIS history.
It was followed on February 24-26 in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast,
a major snowstorm that exhibited some of the qualities of a hurricane.
Major cities such as Baltimore,
Washington, D.C.,
and Philadelphia all set seasonal snowfall records this winter.
Baltimore's old record of 62.5 inches from the winter of 1995-1996 was crushed after 80.4 inches fell this season.
If you take this winter as a whole, this was bad.
These storms produced snow that shut down cities.
It's bad to have just one in Philadelphia.
They had three this time.
The heaviest snows
and the coldest temperatures relative to average this season
have been to our south and southeast.
In the month of February, the cities of Pittsburgh, New York and Philadelphia,
among many others, had the snowiest month ever recorded.
The 77 inches for the season so far in Pittsburgh
is more than twice the average for an entire season.
Dallas has received almost 16 inches this season,
just shy of the snowiest season on record.
Washington, D.C. has received 56 inches so far with more on the way.
The average there for an entire season is just 15 inches.
In Philadelphia, 79 inches has fallen already, compared to a seasonal average of just 19 inches.
That’s five feet more than normal,
and it will snow more before the last flake falls.
The West Coast also received their share of severe weather over the past few months.
A series of strong storms inundated California with heavy rain and high winds from January 16-23,
causing flooding and wind damage.
This included an extra tropical cyclone on the West Coast January 21-22.
Mudslides destroyed homes on February 5 in Southern California
after yet more heavy rain suddenly arrived in the area.
For many Americans, December, January and February
were harsh months and won't be forgotten any time soon.
This was the worst winter some people will see in their lifetime.