Sea-Tac International Airport broke a record for total snowfall previously set in 1949. Don't tell the snow, but some records aren't meant to be broken. By Sunday evening, Sea-Tac International Airport recorded the largest snowfall total for the month of February. According to the National Weather Service, the airport saw 14.1 inches in the first 10 days of the month. The old record at Sea-Tac was 13.1 inches, recording back in 1949. Sea-Tac's records only go back to 1945. The old Federal Building in Seattle recorded 35.4 inches of snow in February back in 1916. It's unlikely that we'll surpass 35 inches of snow this month, however, there are still two weeks left in February. The National Weather Service released the top eight months for snowfall: 1. 57.2" Jan 1950 2. 45.4" Jan 1969 3. 22.1" Dec 1968 4. 20.0" Jan 1954 5. 18.2" Mar 1951 6. 17.5" Nov 1985 7. 15.3" Dec 1965<doc-sep>Photo : Getty Seattle is no stranger to wet winters, but usually it falls as drizzle, mist, and other forms of liquid precipitation. This week, though, more than a foot of snow has turned the Emerald City white. So what gives? Advertisement The recent spate of storms are following very abnormal tracks that have tapped deep Canadian cold. And yes, the polar vortex may even be playing a role. To understand what’s weird, you have to understand what’s normal. Seattle does get about six inches of snow a year, but a sustained run of storms like this is rare. According to the National Weather Service, Sea-Tac airport has picked 14.1 inches of snow as of Monday morning , making this the snowiest February recorded there since record keeping began in 1945 and the eighth-snowiest month, period. With more flakes expected to fly on Monday evening, February 2019 could climb even higher in the record books. Storms usually flow over Seattle from west to east, passing the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound. Those bodies of water usually hover around 50 degrees Fahrenheit in winter because the ocean reacts very slowly to temperatures changes as opposed to the air . Though you wouldn’t necessarily want to take a dip in water that cool, they’re still warm enough to act as a moderating influence on the land temperatures immediately adjacent and storms passing over them. That’s why Seattle gets a lot of drizzly days and the western side of the Olympic Peninsula has the only temperate rainforest in the Lower 48 despite being on the same latitude as Caribou, Maine, a bastion of cold and snow. It’s also why the snow that does fall in the mountains tends be heavy and not-so-kindly referred to as Cascades Concrete as opposed to the fluffy powder of interior mountains. To get snow, you have to get cold. And to get cold, you have to get air from Canada. And that’s exactly what’s been happening for the past week. Storms have been coming in almost directly from the north, tapping chilly air from interior British Columbia. That’s caused Seattle temperatures to dip 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal or well below freezing. And that’s how you end up with people skiing down city streets and the photo at the top of this post of a majestic Saint Bernard on a snow mound in front of the Space Needle. The rest of Washington has also suffered from cold and snowy conditions. Mount Rainier, for example, recorded winds in excess of 100 mph and wind chill values of minus-47 degrees Fahrenheit while Snoqualmie Pass picked up nearly two feet of snow on Sunday alone, according to the National Weather Service . Judah Cohen, an atmospheric scientist with weather and climate research group AER, a Verisk Business, told Earther that the polar vortex breakdown that started in January and brought Arctic temperatures to the Midwest a few weeks ago could have played a role in helping the cold air leak down into the Northwest as its slid further west. He also noted that 1968-69 was the snowiest winter on record for Seattle. Advertisement “In the winter of 1968/69 there were not one but two [polar vortex] disruptions,” he said. “The first was at the very end of November that set up the very snowy December and into January for Seattle that winter.” His research also shows that the recent run of winters with polar vortex breakdowns could become more common as the planet warms. Advertisement The parade of storms is expected to continue this week, though the next one will add a wrinkle to the forecast by taking a more traditional(ish) track. The fringes of the system are already buffeting the coast as it drops in out of the northwest. That pass over the ocean could warm things up just a bit albeit it’s still capturing a bit of cold northern air. Advertisement That tug-of-war between warm and cold makes the forecast a particularly tough one snow-wise. The National Weather Service Seattle office tweeted that “[o]n a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, this afternoon and evening’s forecast remains near a 10.” Seattle could pick up another inch or two before changing over to miserable, cold rain. And more storms are coming later this week, giving this February’s snow a chance to continue reaching new heights.<doc-sep>The 14.1-inch winter snow total so far is the highest since 2008-2009, when 23.3 inches fell over the entire winter. It’s also presently the 33rd snowiest winter on record back to 1895 and the 16th snowiest on record at Seattle-Tacoma Airport, where records have been kept since 1945.<doc-sep>As residents in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest dig out from the most snow in decades, a new round of storms is set to bring an additional punch of winter beginning Monday. The National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion that a series of winter storms will bring "widespread snowfall" to much of the region throughout the week. "Given the presence of below normal temperatures across this region already, snow levels remain low with accumulating snowfall likely near or just above sea level for western Washington and Oregon," the NWS said. "The most significant snowfall is expected across the higher terrain of the Washington and Oregon Cascades, where 1 to 3 feet of snow is likely." POLAR VORTEX ‘BOILING WATER CHALLENGE’ SENDS 8 PEOPLE TO HOSPITAL IN CHICAGO-AREA The storms have delivered Seattle the most snow in February in 70 years (10.6. inches), while Sea-Tac airport reported a new monthly February record, the NWS Seattle office said on Twitter. A winter storm watch was in effect from Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon, with between 6 and 10 inches of snow expected to fall throughout the Seattle area, Q13 News reported. Seattle schools were closed Monday, along with other area schools in anticipating of the wintry blast. WINTER STORMS CLOBBER PARTS OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST, CALIFORNIA AND MIDWEST Officials from the Washington Department of Transportation told the Seattle Times that drivers have hit four snowplows in recent days, putting them out of commission. Drivers are also being warned to drive as if the roads are covered with ice because of hidden slick spots. “We’ve had all hands on deck for days now working 12-hour shifts,” WSDOT spokeswoman Lisa Van Cise told the newspaper. “I was born and raised here; we don’t get these kinds of systems often. This is one for the books.” CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP Besides the snow, the region also has been blanketed by bitterly cold temperatures. Low temperatures dipped to 6 degrees in Arlington, Washington. The weather service said that was colder than the Arctic coast or North Slope of Alaska. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
Our snowstorms have broken a record. Sea-Tac International Airport has recorded more snow this month than any previous February, with a total accumulation of 14.1 inches as of Sunday night -- with more snow to come. The old record for February was set in 1949, with a total accumulation of 13.1 inches. The 14.1 inches recorded so far in February 2019 is not even close to the record amount of snow recorded at the airport in any one month -- 57.2 inches in January 1950, followed by 45.4 inches in January 1969, according to the National Weather Service -- but there's still some snow to come this month. RELATED: Seattle's due for two more snow systems. Here's what we know The total 14.1 inches is also the eighth-most accumulated snow for any single month recorded at the airport. Meanwhile, more snow is on the way Monday, with up to 4 inches of snow possible in Seattle, according to an emailed morning briefing from NWS. A winter weather advisory was in effect Monday in lowland areas from Seattle southward and on the coast. A winter storm warning will take effect later in the day through the night along the east Puget Sound lowlands, mountains and the King-Snohomish County line northward. High temperatures could reach the upper 30s by Monday afternoon in the Seattle area, though they were not expected to climb higher than 34 degrees in the lowlands north and east of Seattle. The higher evening temperatures could cause snow to turn into a rain/snow mix by the evening. RELATED: Ready or not, here it comes. Here's our pragmatic guide to surviving snow in Seattle Compare that to the normal high on Feb. 11 in Seattle -- 50 degrees. "We're not getting close to that anytime soon," NWS tweeted. Producer Natalie Guevara can be contacted at natalie.guevara@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter. Find more from Natalie on her author page.