Quantifying The Recent Cold Snap
WHENEVER AN EXTREME WEATHER EVENT OCCURS THERE IS ALWAYS THE
DESIRE TO FIND STATISTICS TO HELP PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE. THIS
CERTAINLY WILL NOT GO DOWN AS THE COLDEST OUTBREAK IN
HISTORY...HOWEVER IT CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE IT WAS THE COLDEST
PERIOD THIS REGION HAS SEEN SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY 1996. HERE ARE
A FEW STATISTICS TO USE TO IMPRESS YOUR CO-WORKERS AT THE WATER
COOLER WITH YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF JUST HOW THIS COLD SNAP STACKS UP...
FOR CHICAGO...
THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF -18 THIS MORNING MAKES IT THE COLDEST LOW
TEMPERATURE RECORDED IN CHICAGO SINCE BACK ON FEB 3RD 1996 WHEN
THE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS -19. DATING BACK TO 1871...THERE HAVE ONLY
BEEN 21 DAYS IN CHICAGO WITH LOW TEMPERATURES COLDER THAN THE -18
RECORDED THIS MORNING.
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN CHICAGO YESTERDAY WAS -1...WHICH IS ONLY
THE 45TH TIME IN RECORDED HISTORY IN CHICAGO THAT THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE HAS FAILED TO REACH ZERO. THE LAST TIME THE
TEMPERATURE FAILED TO REACH ZERO WAS ALSO BACK ON FEB 3RD 1996
WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS -5.
FOR ROCKFORD...
THE LOW TEMPERATURE THIS MORNING WAS -25...BREAKING THE PREVIOUS
RECORD LOW OF -24 FOR THIS DATE SET IN 1982. THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN
2 DAYS IN HISTORY COLDER THAN TODAY IN ROCKFORD...THE FIRST WAS
-26 BACK ON JAN 20TH 1985 AND THE OTHER WAS JAN 10 1982 WHEN THE
LOW WAS -27. THIS MORNING'S LOW OF -25 TIES WITH 01/17/1982...
02/09/1933 AND 01/05/1924 FOR THE 3RD COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE
EVER RECORDED IN ROCKFORD.
THURSDAYS HIGH TEMPERATURE OF -6 IN ROCKFORD WAS THE COLDEST HIGH
TEMPERATURE IN ROCKFORD SINCE FEB 3RD 1996 WHEN THE HIGH WAS -12.
THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN 16 DAYS IN ROCKFORD WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES
COLDER THAN -6. ALSO...SO FAR TODAY THE HIGH TEMPERATURE HAS BEEN
-3. ASSUMING THE TEMPERATURE DOES NOT GET ANY WARMER PRIOR TO
MIDNIGHT...THEN THERE WILL HAVE ONLY BEEN 8 OTHER TIMES IN HISTORY
WHEN THERE HAVE BEEN BACK TO BACK DAYS WITH TEMPERATURES AS COLD
AS...OR COLDER THAN...THE PAST 2 DAYS.
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN ROCKFORD YESTERDAY WAS -11 AND SO FAR
TODAY IT HAS BEEN -14. ASSUMING THAT THE HIGH FOR THE DAY REMAINS
AT -3...THIS WILL BE ONLY THE 6TH TIME IN RECORDED HISTORY THAT
ROCKFORD WILL HAVE RECORDED BACK TO BACK DAYS WHERE THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE WAS COLDER THAN -10. ONE OF THOSE TIMES WAS ACTUALLY
A 3 DAY PERIOD...WHICH WAS DURING THE EARLY FEBRUARY 1996 COLD
SNAP FROM THE 2ND THROUGH 4TH.
$$
IZZI
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