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Community Corner

Winter Has Packed a Wallop

February hit record books for snowfall amounts in Wayne County, and in Dearborn, residents and city workers alike felt the sting of winter.

Winter has been a wild ride for the denizens of Wayne County.

Between sub-zero days with periods of intense and prolonged snowfall and spring-like efforts with steady drizzle and 50-degree temperatures–residents have been left in a state of weather confusion.

And February, by the record books, was one of the harshest winter months to date in the region.

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According to statistics provided by the National Weather Service, this was the second snowiest February on record with 31.7 inches of snow, behind only 1908, which boasted 38.4 inches.

February also saw six days of significant snowfall totaling more than two inches, with the biggest amounts coming on Feb. 1 (6.3 inches), Feb. 5 (4.8 inches) and Feb. 20 (8.2 inches).

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It was as tough for Dearborn residents to deal with as it was for the city to plow.

According to Mark Pultorak, superintendent of the Highways and Parks division of the Department of Public Works, this winter has combined extraordinary snowfall both in the amount and the quickness of succession between storms.

The 8-10 inches that blanketed the city Feb. 20 were by far the worst, Pultorak said, leaving his team to clean up the city for five days afterward.

“The Storm of the Century (on Feb. 2) was not as bad as this one,” Pultorak said of the massive mid-February snowfall. “This snow was heavy and my plows were having a hard time. We had a lot of breakdowns on the roads."

Despite the lengthy cold snaps that have plagued the area, however, February’s average temperature was 24.8 degrees, only 2.5 degrees less than average.

March hasn’t been much of an improvement. So far this month, the metropolitan Detroit area has seen 4.5 inches of snow. Temperatures have averaged 29.8 degrees–2.6 degrees less than average.

Following is a list of highlights that have marked the winter of 2010-2011 in Wayne County:

  • The Feb. 20-21 snowstorm ranks 24th on the list of all-time heaviest snowstorms with 10.1 inches in some areas.
  • The highest temperature recorded in February was 54 degrees on the 18th. The lowest was -5 degrees on the 10th.
  • Average highs for the month of February were 34.4 degrees. Average lows were 20.0 degrees.
  • The average high temperature for January was 31.1 degrees. The average low was 17.8 degrees.
  • The snowiest day of January came on the 11th (4.7 inches of snow). No other day during the month record more than two inches of snow. However, for the month, 17.9 inches of snow were recorded.
  • The warmest day in January was 53 degrees on the 1st. The coldest was 2 degrees on the 24th.
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