ICYMI: Winter and spring faced off as February began in tumultuous fashion

As portions of the central United States were blasted with snow, some parts of the South were being pounded with heavy downpours, strong winds and even a few tornadoes. Meanwhile, Denver had a drastic drop in temperature within just three days, and investigators are still looking into what caused a flight in Turkey to crash land amid poor weather conditions. Here’s a look back at the biggest weather stories of the week.

Midweek winter storm sets new Oklahoma City snowfall record

During the middle of the week, some cities in the central U.S. were hit with the most snow they’ve received so far this season as a winter storm pushed eastward across the region into Thursday, smashing some records along the way.

In Oklahoma City, which was under a winter storm warning, the previous daily snowfall record of 2.3 inches for Feb. 5 was wiped out Wednesday when the storm dumped 4.6 inches of snow over the city. Around 4 to 5 inches of snow covered parts of Illinois Thursday as the storm headed into Indiana and Michigan.

As expected with wintry conditions, the storm brought headaches for those navigating the slick highways. KOCO-TV reported a semi-truck jackknifed on Interstate 44 near Oklahoma City while other vehicles in the metro area were left stranded on snowy roads.

A multi-car crash in Missouri left at least one person hurt on a bridge in Rocheport, Missouri, on Wednesday, leaving some of I-70’s westbound lanes shut for hours, according to state police.

Southeast severe storms leave thousands without power

While people in the central U.S. were shoveling piles of snow off their sidewalks, the South was getting slammed with some severe weather conditions of its own over the past week. Heavy rain, tornadoes, strong winds and flooding wreaked havoc Wednesday into Thursday across states including Florida, Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas.

Almost 150,000 people in Florida were left in the dark for part of Thursday night as the storms pummeled the state, where powerful gusts also caused trouble, impacting scheduled flights at a few airports. Several people were trapped while another person was hurt after a tree toppled over into a house in Seminole, Florida.

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In Pinellas Park, the gusts pushed a crane over onto I-275. One of the stronger gusts reported came from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, which observed a gust of 76 mph.

Tornado watches and warnings were in effect throughout Thursday across multiple states. Several counties in North Carolina were under a ‘particularly dangerous situation’ tornado warning before noon EST Thursday, and the National Weather Service (NWS) later confirmed that a tornado had struck 7 miles east of Gastonia, at 11:21 EST. At least eight preliminary tornadoes have been reported so far from Thursday’s severe storms.

In the midst of the intense weather conditions, at least 11 Southeast cities set new Feb. 6 daily rainfall records by Thursday afternoon. Greenville, South Carolina, had 5.36 inches of rain that day, tossing the 1955 record of 2.77 inches out the window. Meanwhile, a 123-year-old daily rainfall record of 1.85 was shattered in Asheville, North Carolina, where 3.35 inches of rain fell Thursday.

Temperature swing takes Denver from hot to cold in less than 3 days 

While residents of Denver, Colorado, are no strangers to frigid conditions, Wednesday’s early morning temperature plunge to a chilling minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit was still a little bit unusual. That’s because less than three days prior, the city was basking in temperatures into the mid-70s F.

In fact, Denver was actually warmer than Miami on Sunday, with temperatures in the Mile High City hitting 74 F while the South Florida tourist spot only reached a high of 68 F. Sunday was an overall unseasonably warm day across the West, with temperatures in Denver rising 30 degrees above average and tying an 86-year-old record for the warmest-recorded Feb. 2.

The cold front that gripped the region at midweek brought along some snow. Denver received about 3 to 5 inches, while the Boulder area experienced a wide range between 3 and 21 inches of snow, the NWS reported. NWS records show that the drastic change in temperature marks the second drop of 70 degrees or more within the past four months. It happened early last October, when the city’s temperature plummeted from 83 F to 13 F.

Record lows challenged in San Diego area

People who stepped outside in the San Diego area early Wednesday morning may have thought they were in the wintry Midwest or Northeast.

The temperature at San Diego International Airport fell to 38, tying a record set way back in 1894. According to the National Weather Service in San Diego, it was the first time the city recorded a temperature reading in the 30s since Jan. 14, 2013, a span of 2,577 days.

Farther north, in Romona, California, it was even colder. The low at 4 a.m. was 20, and eventually the thermometer showed a reading of 19, which surpassed the old low temperature record of 23 in 2002.

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Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring: Will it happen?

Punxsutawney Phil’s verdict is in. Last Sunday at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the famed weather-forecasting meteorologist predicted an early spring this year during 134th celebration of Groundhog Day.

Not so fast – apparently, Punxsutawney Phil only gets it right 39% of the time. However, could his 2020 prediction be correct? AccuWeather’s expert meteorologists weigh in. “We are now expecting February temperatures to be above normal across most of the country during the month,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel.

“Only the northern Plains and Rockies will likely be below normal,” Samuhel said, adding that February will get off to a warm start, with conditions trending colder later in the month into March. To learn more about what’s in store for spring weather in your region, check out the AccuWeather 2020 U.S. spring forecast here.

Deadly Turkey avalanches bury dozens beneath snow

Devastating avalanches have rocked eastern Turkey following the latest winter storm to impact the region, killing at least 41 people. The nightmare began in Van Province, where an initial avalanche claimed three lives late Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. The avalanche buried some people along a mountain road, prompting around 300 emergency workers to assist.

Meanwhile, a second avalanche happened as rescue efforts continued into Wednesday, leaving dozens of workers entombed under feet of snow. As rescue efforts continued into Wednesday, a second avalanche occurred and buried dozens of the rescuers under feet of snow. Following that avalanche, in which over 36 people died, over 50 people were pulled out and taken to hospitals.

‘Rough landing’ kills 3 as plane breaks apart at Istanbul airport

Tragedy struck Turkey once again this week. A Wednesday night flight landing into Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport came to a frightening end as it slammed into the runway, breaking into three pieces on impact amid rainy, windy conditions. Three people died and 180 others were hurt in what Turkey’s Transport Minister, Mehmet Cahit Turhan, called a “rough landing,” Reuters reported.

“The plane could not hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50 to 60 meters (165-197 feet),” Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya said at a news conference. CCTV footage showed the plane overrunning the runway and catching fire before falling into a ditch. In some footage, survivors could be seen scrambling from the wreckage and onto one of the plane’s wings.

“There was panic and shouting, everyone was calling for help,” passenger Alper Kulu told DHA News Agency. “I got out of the plane on my own with a broken arm. I [climbed] 30-40 meters [and] I heard announcements that the plane could explode.” The crash’s cause remains unclear, although weather conditions may have played a role.

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