February’s mild readings still lag last year’s by 5°

The harsh but thankfully brief five days of sub-normal temperatures ended Wednesday as readings surged back into surplus territory, topping out at 46°. It marked the 6th time this month Chicago has reached or exceeded 40°. Nine such days are typical in February, though 11 had occurred by this date a year ago. Even so, this month’s modestly above normal temperature (+1.5°) is 5.3° behind February’s opening three weeks last year.
The frigid arctic air mass, responsible for the bitterly cold readings last weekend and a more seasonable brand of cold air (33° here Monday and 37° Tuesday) in this week’s opening days, has pulled back into Canada. The air mass was responsible for a heartstopping -48° low early Wednesday at Eureka, 700 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Canada’s vast Nunavut Territory. This in stark contrast to the 88° high in McAllen, Texas during the afternoon.
-Tom Skilling