It wasn’t just you (and those springlike days) — climate change was here in February

Climate change is making Philadelphia hotter and wetter. This past February was no exception.

The average temperature was 3.8° above normal, and the 2.87 inches of precipitation was 104% of the normal amount, according to a new analysis from Climate Central.

Philadelphia is heating up more rapidly than other cities. It was the fifth-warmest location in February out of 180 locations monitored by Climate Central.

Overall, this past month is an ongoing pattern as a signal of climate change. February has been warming up 4.6° on average since 1970.

In addition, the February lows are becoming less common. Wintertime lows are an average of 8.1° warmer since the 1970s.

What’s likely going to happen in March? You guessed it, more warming.

Cover photo by Dyana Wing So on Unsplash

array(1) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#10438 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(136)
    ["name"]=>
    string(14) "Climate Change"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(14) "climate-change"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(136)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(97)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia. View all posts by Julie Hancher