With the weather becoming more like spring bliss then cold agony, it’s news to find out that February was the 9th coldest month on record since 1895.

Old Man Winter came in full force across almost all of Illinois with general snowfall throughout the month. Snowfall was generally 2-6 inches in southern Illinois, 6-25 inches in central Illinois and 12-25 inches in northern Illinois. The heaviest snowfall was in an east-central Champaign County suburb of Sidell, which reported 27.5 inches. State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey said the snowfall in February was the highest amount in Champaign-Urbana since 1903. There was also a concern that the surrounding towns would experience flood problems because of the amount of snow and the lack of drains.

“Flooding was a concern in some portions of C-U because some of the drains had ice over them,” Angel said. “Although the snow was expected, the weather caused come concerns that we weren’t ready for.”

Those concerns caused the snow day.

The huge snowfall that was expected caused surrounding schools to close in anticipation. The University, however, waited until the snow hit to make a decision about giving the day off.

Eva Kingston, senior editor of Illinois State Water Survey, an agency that provides weather information for local news forecasts, said the snow day was about safety.

“It was really dangerous for anyone out there,” she said. “The problem was teachers and professors had a hard time getting to class since they commuted, and students had to walk in the streets because the sidewalks weren’t being plowed or shoveled.”

The cold has subsided with the start of March, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely over.

“The winter is over for the most part,” Angel said. “If it gets cold again it will only be for a day.”

Mark Luche, a sophomore in LAS, said he won’t be satisfied until all the snow melts.

“Knowing my luck, the day I get excited about the warming weather will be the day it snows again,” he said.