News

February was hotter & wetter than average

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


Julie Hancher

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake.

Recent Posts

Moving Fast and Breaking Climate goals: What Pennsylvania’s Data Center boom means for local communities

$90 billion in investments could reshape the energy landscape, but community voices and renewable alternatives…

7 days ago

Trash competition, government shutdown, November elections, & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:  Block by Block launches citywide cleanup competition with…

7 days ago

From coal to solar affordability: PA’s next energy chapter shaped by HB 504

Farmers and city residents alike stand to benefit from local, homegrown power, says Land &…

1 week ago

Celebrating Solar at “Sun Day,” trash burning ban proposed & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:  Philly mobilizes for Sun Day solar energy celebration.…

2 weeks ago

You can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, even swimming in lakes – new maps show how risk from ‘forever chemicals’ varies

Drinking water isn’t the only way people are exposed to PFAS today. This article is…

2 weeks ago

Building connections: How Ash Richards uses land care as cultural preservation

The city’s Director of Urban Agriculture talks about the impact of history, gardening as collective…

2 weeks ago