We're sure you've already guessed: February is one for weather record books

YOUNGSTOWN

How cold has it been this month?

“It will go down in the record books,” said Eric Wilhelm, chief meteorologist for 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner. “It’s pretty remarkable that this record-cold February was on top of a very cold January. The last seven weeks have been brutal.”

Consider these not-so-fun facts compiled from National Weather Service data and with Wilhelm’s assistance:

It’s the coldest February in the Mahoning Valley since weather information for the area was first recorded in 1897.

It’s the second-coldest month on record. The average temperature this month, not including today, is 13.9 degrees. That’s less than half the typical 28.6 degrees average temperature for February for the area. It will drop even more after today. The coldest month recorded is January 1977 with an average temperature of 10.2 degrees.

With an expected low today of 10 or 11 degrees below zero, this month will have the record-low temperature for eight dates in February. The coldest was Feb. 20 with a low of 16 below zero.

Read more about this sad state of affairs, and what we can expect in the coming days and month, in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.