The four snowstorms that blasted Columbus last month accumulated 30.1 inches of snow, breaking a 100-year record for total snowfall in the month of February in the city.
The previous record was set in 1910 when 29.2 inches of snow fell that month.
The city neared the record on Monday, Feb. 15, when a storm system dumped 9.7 inches of snow, the most snow ever recorded in Columbus on that day. That storm pushed the city’s monthly snowfall to 25.4 inches.
But the 1910 record remained unbroken until Friday, when flurries dropped 2.2 inches of snow. More snowfall on Saturday pushed the total over the 30-inch mark, said National Weather Service representative John Franks.
In 2003, the third-highest mark was set with 24.4 total inches, followed by 19.6 inches in 1914 and 16.4 in 1979 to round out the five heaviest snowfalls in February.
After Sunday, the new February record has officially been set at 30.1 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
The ice, rain and snow that have blasted Columbus this winter caused their share of traffic accidents, as well as the closing of almost every school in the Columbus area at some point in time.
Ohio State remained open during the majority of the storms, but classes were canceled on Feb. 16. OSU resumed the next day.
As March begins, there are only 21 days until the first official day of spring. It is unclear when the spring sunshine will begin and the snow will cease.
The National Weather Service forecast for Columbus predicts chances of snow flurries until Wednesday and the possibility of partly sunny skies on Thursday.
