Mid-February freeze grips the heartland

Winter stayed relentless this week, bringing another round of snow and blustery winds, but this time with an especially stout arctic blast. Both temperatures and wind chills were brutal for days on end, triggering cold weather advisories and extreme cold warnings from the Canadian border to the Texas Panhandle.

Wind chills dropped as low as minus 23 degrees in St. Joseph and a daily record low was even broken on Thursday, Feb. 20.

The previous record was minus 1 degree in 1918, before temperatures plunged to minus 13 degrees at Rosecrans Memorial Airport early Thursday morning. This is not the kind of record most want to break, nonetheless the potent shot of arctic air shattered the long standing record by well over 10 degrees.

When asked about the frigid conditions, one St. Joseph resident stated, “32 ain’t that bad and maybe even the 20s, but when you get down in the minuses, it’s not that good for you.”

The spell of extreme cold made multiple layers a necessity and put people and furry friends at risk for health concerns such as hypothermia and frostbite when exposed to the frigid conditions for more than 15 to 25 minutes without proper precautions.

While the magnitude of this week’s cold spell has been impressive, with temperatures falling 30 to 35 degrees below average, the longevity of the freeze has also been significant.

Temperatures fell below freezing last Saturday evening, Feb. 15, and will not approach the freezing mark again until this Saturday, Feb 22. The lingering chill meant most of the three to five inches of snow that fell during the period remained unmelted, even after several days of sunshine.

Despite the higher sun angle and longer days that came with the second half of February, a 72-hour stretch of temperatures less than 10 degrees were simply not conducive for significant melting.

After enduring these harsh conditions for multiple days, most are longing for springlike temperatures. As fate would have it, that’s exactly what’s headed our way.

The polar low responsible for the extreme cold that impacted millions across the continental U.S. will swing northward into eastern Canada late this weekend. In its place, a ridge of warmth will build in from the four corners region and promote above average temperatures through most of next wee