The cold is going to be around awhile
Jack Hughes
Coldest days on record in area
Winter weather has settled into Southwestern Pennsylvania and looks like it is going to stick around for awhile as the forecast for the next 10 days calls for below normal temperatures. Normal temperatures are 40 degrees for the high and 19 for the low, and we have been experiencing temperatures far below these averages. We average five days each winter season with temperatures below zero, and once every ten years, we have so cold a day that the thermometer fails to go above zero even during the day. Minimum temperatures of 10 below zero occur once every five years with the odds at an 18 percent chance per year.
The chart was compiled by the National Climate Data Center and tells the cold story. Forecasters are still predicting the La Nina weather patter to persist. Frequently this produces intense cold at the beginning and then moderating temperature as winter progresses.
On a warmer note, on Jan. 25, 1950, the area experienced a temperature of 79 degrees making it the warmest January day in over 100 years. Don鈥檛 forget how balmy it was last winter. From Feb. 18 to the 25 temperatures were above 60 each day and reached 76 on the Feb. 24. Bundle up as the next week is going to be very cold.