Mother Nature delivers one last snowfall for February in Berks County
Feb. 27—Mother Nature and Old Man Winter left calling cards Saturday before Berks County and the region get to bid February 2021 a not-so-fond farewell.
A coating to an inch-plus of snow was recorded across Berks in the predawn hours, and there were spinouts and minor crashes to show for it. The temperature then warmed above freezing for periods of light rain, drizzle and mist.
More rain is likely through the weekend.
The sites of the crashes included Route 222 near Kutztown, Route 222 near Gouglersville, Pricetown Road, Route 222 near Route 724 and School Road in Richmond Township, according to emergency reports. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Officially, 0.4 inch of snow was recorded in Lincoln Park, driving the monthly total to 28.1 inches and the seasonal total to 42.8 inches. That little bit of snow was enough to push this month into fifth place all-time for Februarys in snow total by a tenth of an inch. The all-time is since 1869.
Other totals for Saturday available from the National Weather Weather Service office in Mount Holly, N.J., were Huffs Church, 1.1 inches; District Township, 1.0; and Douglassville, 0.8.
The CoCoRaHS network and other sites in the Berks Area Rainfall Networks provided these totals: Hamburg, 1.6 inches; Alburtis, 1.5; Bernville and New Morgan, 1.2; Alleghenyville, 0.9; and Cornwall Terrace, 0.5 inch.
In the Bernville area, observer Brian Morganti reached 50 inches for the season with the Saturday measurement of 1.2 inches.
In Lincoln Park, retired meteorologist Jeffrey R. Stoudt has stepped in to measure snow since the weather service doesn't have an official snow site. Those sites had been UGI and Met-Ed locations and before that there were U.S. Weather Bureau offices in Reading where meteorologists measured snow.
The automated equipment at Reading Regional Airport does not measure snow and the airport has never been an official site for snowfall, however the snow is melted for a precipitation equivalent to be determined. Overall the month passed 4 inches on Saturday for precipitation, and that is official.
February is historically neck-and-neck with October for the driest month of the year. A 4-inch precipitation total is well above normal. This month would have to reach 5.49 inches to get on the 10 wettest Februarys list.
With rain in the forecast through Sunday, it's not out of the question but also not likely.
Beyond that, warmer conditions are expected for the next week, which will doom the snowpack, expect for the piles in the parking lots.
