There’s no question this winter has been cold.
And depending how you crunch the numbers, it also has tied a record.
Monday’s temperatures dipped below zero once again, according to meteorologist Gino Izzi at the National Weather Service.
“If you look at the number of days below zero, we don’t break a record. We’re at 23 days, and the record is 25, so we’re in fourth place,” Izzi said.
That record was set in the winter of 1884-85.
But if you look at the number of days temperatures were at or below zero, the meteorologist said, this season ties for first with the winter of 1874-75. Both seasons spent 26 days at or below zero, he said.
We also have had enough snow this winter, our friends at the Chicago Reader have created a taxonomy of snow.
Here’s how this season compares to other winters:
Here’s how the average temperature this season compares to the 30-year average normal temperature:
And here’s a cool GIF of the ice flow on Lake Michigan in late January from the National Weather Service:
NOAA satellite tracking of Lake Michigan ice from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan 28.
More information about those ice movements.
Max Rust contributed to this post.