The CONUS average temperature during February was 40.4°F, 6.6°F above the 20th-century average. Extensive portions of the country west of the Mississippi River experienced much-above-average temperatures, while portions of the eastern seaboard observed below-average temperatures that ranked in the lowest third of their historical records.

• Seven states experienced one of their two warmest Februaries on record, including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma, which each set new statewide records.
• February was the fourth warmest and fifth driest on record for the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) in the 132-year record.
• Winter (December 2024–February 2025) ranked as the second warmest for the CONUS and was the driest in 45 years.
• Arizona, New Mexico and Utah each broke their previous warmest-winter record by more than 2°F.
• A historic “bomb cyclone” during Feb 22–24 brought blizzard conditions, hurricane-force wind gusts and heavy snowfall from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.
• Alaska saw a particularly cold winter, recording much-below-average temperatures across parts of the central Interior.
• Drought conditions expanded by more than 10% in February to cover more than half of the CONUS.

Assessing the U.S. Temperature and Precipitation Analysis in February 2026