The month of February conjures images of heavy snow for many, but the last month of meteorological winter can also bring tornadoes. There is an average of about 40 tornadoes reported during this month in the United States. So, while the focus is usually on strong winter storms such as this week's historic nor'easter, it's prudent to remain on guard when it comes to potential twisters.
February is one of the few times of the year when both blizzards and tornadoes can occur. They are sometimes separated by weeks, but on rare occasions, they can happen just days apart.
"I know it sounds impossible, but in February it actually makes sense," AccuWeather meteorologist Anna Azallion explained. "February is a transition month. The jet streams start shifting. Arctic air can still plunge south, while moisture from the Gulf or the Atlantic can surge north. When those two collide, storms can rapidly strengthen."
This month has already featured blizzards and tornadoes. The nor'easter produced over 1 foot of snow in Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. Over 3 feet piled up in Providence, Rhode Island, to set a new record for the city's greatest single snowstorm. The wicked weather also spun up hurricane-strength winds, including a gust of 83 mph in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
While this month has been quiet in terms of tornadoes, the first half of February was active for twisters. There have been 50 preliminary tornado reports, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Most of them came on Valentine's Day, when three dozen reports came in from Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The volatile mix of weather conditions means people have to be prepared for a broad spectrum of extreme weather. An average of 74 people a year died as a result of winter storms and cold weather from 2015 to 2024, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes took an average of 48 lives per year during the period.
The warming world is supercharging many forms of extreme weather, fueling more intense droughts and heat waves and larger wildfires. As such weather worsens, it raises risks to life and property.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the strongest nor'easters are becoming more intense. "Our analysis of nor'easter characteristics reveals that the strongest nor'easters are becoming stronger, with both the maximum wind speeds of the most intense (>66th percentile) nor'easters and hourly precipitation rates increasing since 1940, suggesting an additional contribution to coastal risk in a warming world," researchers concluded.
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