Record Cold Valentine’s Day in NYC

An arctic blast sent NYC into a deep freeze this weekend. With temperatures dipping below 0°F on Sunday, it was the city’s coldest Valentine’s Day in one-hundred years!

According to the NWS, the temperature in Central Park fell to -1°F early Sunday morning. That is a staggering 30°F below average and shattered the previous record of 2°F set in 1916. It was also the first time the city’s temperature dipped below 0°F in 22 years. The high only made it to a frigid 15°F, a new record minimum maximum temperature for the date. When factoring in the wind chill, it felt as cold as -20°F. Our normal high for this time of year is 41°F and our normal low is 29°F.

As cold as it was on Sunday, it was not the coldest day the Big Apple has ever experienced. That dubious honor belongs to February 9, 1934, when the temperature fell to a brutal -15°F.

A weakened Polar Vortex and deep dip in the jet stream drove this weekend’s record cold conditions. But, temperatures are expected to rebound to above average levels by Tuesday. So, it seems this winter’s weather rollercoaster will continue moving forward.

A frosty heart. Credit: Baltimore Sun/AP

A frosty heart for a record cold Valentine’s Day. Credit: Baltimore Sun/AP