Cold in the Northeast Until March

Monday Morning

Very cold air dominates the Great Lakes and is returning to the I-95 corridor from Maine to the Carolinas today and tonight. Temperatures will drop below zero from the Maryland mountains to most of New England, and the major cities from Baltimore (and the DC suburbs) through Philadelphia. New York City, Providence and Boston will all have readings in the single digits overnight.

Of course, February is typically known for its chill. However, this month has been remarkable. In Philadelphia, this month has run 9 degrees below average, Boston has run 12.2 degrees below and Buffalo has been 14 degrees colder than the long-term average. Elsewhere around the Great Lakes it has been 12 degrees colder than average in Detroit and 10.9 degrees below average in Chicago. The Windy City as only been 1 degree higher than it typically is in Duluth. However, Duluth has been 8.6 degrees lower than average so far this month.

This video shows why the last week of February will be cold, with the lowest temperatures today, tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. The video also shows why the cold will ease next week.

Very cold air dominates the Great Lakes and is returning to the I-95 corridor today and tonight. New York City often has its coldest days when the air comes straight south through the Hudson Valley... rather than from the Great Lakes. This map shows how today's wind flow matches the profile for extreme cold. Presiding over the center of the cold is a really big high pressure.