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Chicago Had Its Coldest Winter On Record In Over A Century

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 2, 2014 1:45PM

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Photo credit: Greg Wass

This winter was one for the record books. Not only was it the third-snowiest on record in Chicago, it was also the coldest four month stretch to in over a century.

The average temperature in Chicago from Dec. 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014 was 22 degrees. According to meteorologist Anthony Watts, that's 10 degrees below average, breaking a record set in 1903-04. The National Weather Service also noted the average temperature in Rockford during that span was 18.4 degrees, nearly breaking a record set in 1977-78.

Mother Nature provided little relief in March, either. Chicago wound up with an average temperature of 31.7 degrees, making last month the 19th coldest March on record.

What we're saying is we won't hold it against you if you want to wear shorts with temps in the mid-40s this week.