(CNN)Thanks to the record-breaking Arctic outbreak that stretched all the way into Texas, February was the coldest it has been across the US in over 30 years, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, across the US, it was still in the top third of warmest winters on record.
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“During February, the average contiguous US temperature was 30.6°F, 3.2°F below the 20th-century average,” NOAA announced Monday. “This ranked as the 19th-coldest February in the 127-year period of record and was the coldest February since 1989.”
This bone-chilling cold hasn’t been seen in February since a year before Vanilla Ice released “Ice Ice Baby.” And it was all thanks to a strongly negative Arctic Oscillation (AO), which favors cold air outbreaks across the US.
Or in terms often used to describe these outbreaks — a polar vortex.
The Arctic Oscillation may have resulted from a sudden stratospheric warming event that occurred in January, said NOAA.
This warming event in the Arctic weakened the polar vortex, which normally swirls around the globe’s polar regions, allowing for arctic air to dive into extremely southern US locations, says CNN meteoroligst Allison Chinchar.
“Think of the polar vortex as the sides of a round above-ground pool. If the side breaks, all the water pours out…or in this case, all the cold air poured out,” CNN meteorologist Chad Myers says.
