February 2015 Ties 140-Year Record for Cold Temps

Record-setting cold hit northern Illinois Saturday morning, with 10 below zero recorded at O’Hare Airport and 16 below zero in Rockford on the final day of February. The previous record cold for Feb. 28 was set in 1884, at zero degrees.

The National Weather Service reports that February’s average of 14.6 degrees ties the record set in February 1875. Official measurements will be released on Sunday.

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“There were eight subzero lows this month in Chicago, tying for the fifth-most subzero lows in February with five other Februaries,” the National Weather Service said.

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On top of that, between 1 and 4 inches of snow fell Saturday, according to the NWS, with the most-persistent snow coming south of I-80 across portions of east-central Illinois with lesser amounts farther north.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the 20s on Sunday and warm up to start the first week of March.