Punxsutawney Phil was a pretty good boy this year. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Within a week of Punxsutawney Phil predicting we would get six more weeks of winter, everyone was wearing shorts in Dallas.
The big picture: Phil was partially correct, depending on where you live, NOAA Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Deirdre Dolan tells Axios.
The northeast was "anomalously cold" but elsewhere in the U.S. — like in Texas — it was hotter than normal.
Zoom in: In Dallas-Fort Worth, winter felt effectively over even before Phil checked for his shadow.
The region has recorded warmer-than-usual weather for both February and March.
March's daily average of 67.6 degrees was 9.4 degrees above normal. The February daily average of 59.1 was 8.6 degrees above normal, according to the National Weather Service.
By the numbers: March recorded two days with a high above 90 degrees, with March 22 reaching 95.
Only four days recorded a high cooler than 70, and most days reached temperatures over 80.
February, which featured wild temperature swings, only recorded eight days with a high cooler than 70.
Zoom out: Cleveland, New York City, Orlando and Bangor, Maine, had colder-than-average February temperatures. New York also saw 12 more inches of snow than usual in February.
But regions west of the Mississippi River saw much warmer February temperatures than normal, according to NOAA.
Reality check: Punxsutawney Phil's historical accuracy is about 35%, according to NOAA.
What's next: Temperatures are expected to remain warmer in much of the U.S. in April, per NOAA's Spring Outlook.
