Bone-chilling February, but not a record breaker

It might seem hard to believe, but the bitter cold weather in the region this month is not a record-breaker, at least in New Jersey.

While average temperatures in the Garden State for the month were about 12 degrees below normal, state climatologist Dave Robinson says the February record set in 1934 was four degrees colder.

But he says it has been one of the coldest winters in memory.

“For February we’re neck and neck with February of 1979 for second place,” said Robinson. “We’re talking about the fifth coldest combined January and February on record.”

The frigid conditions of the past several weeks are coming to an end, but Robinson says temperatures will still be below normal for a while.

“February of 1934 was about four degrees colder so that was an exceptionally cold month, something that is awfully difficult to touch,” he said.

And he says the gradual warming is a good thing because it can avoid potential flooding that might result from the rapid melting of the snow on the ground and the ice in streams and rivers.