This has been an extremely cold month, too. The average daily temperature this month through Friday is just 19.7 degrees, which is an incredible 12.1 degrees below normal. It would take a lot of time to research the last time any month has been that much colder-than-normal across southwestern Connecticut. The last 26 days have been much colder-than-normal at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford.
Record low temperatures were set just eight hours apart for February 19 and 20. The temperature dropped to nine degrees Thursday evening at 10 p.m., breaking the previous record of 10 set in 1959. Just eight hours later, the mercury plummeted to one degree early Friday morning, breaking the previous mark of two degrees set in 1966.
Friday's high temperature at Sikorsky Airport was just 20 degrees, which tied the record low maximum temperature for the date which was established in 1966. It was also less than half the normal high temperature for the date (41 degrees), and six degrees below the normal low for the date (20 degrees). It tied the lowest daily high temperature for this month, which happened twice before (February 13 & 16).
The temperature has not climbed above 32 degrees at Sikorsky Airport since Thursday, January 15. However, that streak should be broken tonight or early tomorrow as a southwest wind ushers milder air into the region. Travel is not recommended this evening, though, as the snow and ice will make roads quite slippery. A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect through 8 o'clock tomorrow morning across all of Connecticut.
Snow will continue this evening before mixing with sleet and freezing rain after midnight. Three-to-six inches of snow are possible before the changeover. An additional one-tenth of ice accretion is likely tonight. Although the high temperature is expected to climb to the upper 30s tomorrow afternoon, it will become frigid once again next week.
Paul
