Monday,  March 3, 2014 • Vol. 16--No. 230 • 8 of 28

(Continued from page 7)

historically being one of our snowiest months, seasonal snowfall totals could change quite a bit.
• The final winter average temperatures in the charts below show that all locations in the east had one of their top ten coldest December through February periods on record.  The years shown in the charts are for the winters ending in that year.  For Aberdeen and Watertown, the records date back to 1893.  Wheaton had an average winter temperature of 6.4 degrees which was 3rd in their all-time rankings dating back to 1914.  Sisseton was 6th in their rankings with 9.4 degrees dating back to 1900.  Watertown had their 7th coldest winter on record with an average temperature of 7.8 degrees.  The December through February average temperature at Aberdeen finished out in 8th place at 7.4 degrees.  Across the western part of the region with the lack of snow cover, Pierre and Mobridge had one of their top twenty coldest winters on record finishing at 18th and 20th, respectively.   The charts also highlight some of recent cold winters of the last 20 years.  Most, if not all, of these winters had much more snowfall as compared to this year.  The winter of 2013-14 pales in comparison to the frigid winter of 1935-36.  The average winter temperatures of 1935-36 were from 5 to 7 degrees colder than the winter of 2013-14.

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