Persistent Cold Characterized Winter 2015, With No January OR February Thaw

 

 

Even the coldest winters occasionally see temperatures rise into the 50s for a few days in a row in January and February.  (The mildest reading during these months is typically in the upper 50s.)  The winter of 2015, however, was marked by persistent cold.  Between Jan. 6 and March 7, a period of nearly nine weeks, the temperature never rose above 45° - an unprecedented stretch.  This streak beat the old record, set in the winter of 1948, by four days.  Temperatures during these days were eight degrees below average, with a high/low of 34°/19°; and temperatures were 13 below average between Feb. 13 and March 7.  Additionally, 44.7" of snow fell, 70% more than what falls in a typical winter in its entirety.

 

LONGEST STREAKS W/HIGHS OF 45° OR COLDER
(Since 1910)
	# of		Average
Winter	Days	Date Range	High	Low	Below	Snow
2015	61	Jan 6-Mar 7	33.8	19.3	-8.0	44.7"
1948	57	Dec 19-Feb 13	31.6	20.0	-6.4	56.6"
1977	52	Dec 21-Feb 10	29.4	17.8	-8.7	22.0"
1981	43	Dec 14-Jan 25	31.5	18.9	-7.3	10.8"
1978	43	Jan 27-Mar 10	31.8	18.5	-7.3	28.0"
1969	43	Feb 1-Mar 15	38.5	23.3	-1.8	22.2"
1925	43	Dec 20-Jan 31	34.4	21.1	-3.7	28.2"
1996	42	Dec 7-Jan 17	33.7	23.1	-5.5	36.7"
2011	41	Jan 3-Feb 12	34.6	24.3	-2.8	33.6"
1985	40	Jan 3-Feb 11	33.0	22.0	-4.1	18.4"
1936	40	Jan 16-Feb 24	29.1	15.7	-8.6	20.3"
1923	39	Jan 22-Mar 1	32.8	20.2	-5.0	25.4"
1945	38	Jan 2-Feb 8	32.2	18.3	-5.7	16.6"
2004	36	Jan 5-Feb 9	30.4	18.0	-7.6	18.0"
1970	35	Dec 13-Jan 16	30.2	21.1	-6.9	11.7"
Source: NOAA Local Climatological Data