Snow-beleaguered Boston poised to set all-time record

As Boston neared its all-time snowfall record, the rest of the country continued dealing with the nastiness of one of the worst winters ever recorded.

Boston is likely to make the history charts this week by surpassing its record for snowfall in a season, meteorologists predicted. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration got a jump on spring, officially just weeks away, by launching a preparedness campaign for the weather-related ills that come when the weather warms.

A weekend storm dropped an additional 2.1 inches of snow on Boston, as measured at Logan International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

“Seasonal total now stands at 104 [inches],” the agency tweeted Monday morning. “We need 3.5” to tie record from 1995-96.”

Two more snowstorms, beginning Tuesday night and continuing on and off through Thursday, could bring the added inches, according to the weather service.

Heavy snow also continued to fall Monday in the Rockies, and rain prompted a flood watch for parts of Arizona, including Phoenix. Snow also fell in the Ohio Valley, while freezing rain iced the mid-Atlantic region.

Records were falling everywhere, especially when it came to the cold in the Northeast. The Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University reported that it was truly a “Frozen February.”

In New York state, Buffalo, Syracuse, Binghamton and Ithaca all had their February. The average temperature during the month was 10.9 degrees in Buffalo, beating the 1934 record of 11.4. The monthly average was 9.0 in Syracuse, 12.2 in Binghamton and 10.2 in Ithaca.

February record lows for average temperatures were also set in Connecticut, at 16.1; Pennsylvania at 20.9; and Portland, Maine, at 13.8, according to the center.

And with such a long, frozen winter, spring is not likely to be a bed of roses, weather officials warned.

“Though much of the nation is still under a deep freeze, more typical spring weather is on the horizon, and with it the threat of severe weather, flooding and other hazards,” the National Weather Service warned.

The service said it launched “its Spring Seasonal Safety Campaign, with information to help you know your risk, take action and be a Force of Nature this spring.”

Among the dangers are late-season snowstorms in the East, thunderstorms in the South and Midwest, and flooding and heat waves in the Southwest, the agency warned.

“Spring is three months of danger that can imperil the unprepared,” the service said. “It roars in like a lion and continues to roar across the United States throughout March, April and May.”

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