Global temperatures have reached a record high in 2015 – but, not surprisingly, Chicagoans aren’t feeling the same warmth.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, the year to date — January through February — reached record high average temperatures globally.
However, here in Chicago, we weren’t so lucky. February tied the record set in 1875 for the coldest February since 1880 with an average temperature of 14.6 degrees, according to the weather service.
February was also the third-snowiest on record for Chicago, with more than 26 inches of snow measured at O’Hare, according to weather service records.
Globally, February 2015 was the second warmest on record, according to the NCDC. That means the globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces was the second highest since record keeping began in 1880.
It wasn’t just February that was colder than normal for Chicago — the entire winter was below average, with an average temperature of 22.9 degrees between December and Feburary, according to the weather service. The normal season average is 26.4 degrees.
The same period of December through February was the warmest on record globally, with a land surface average temperature 2.63 degrees above the 20th century average, according to NCDC records.
