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This Is the Coldest February in 81 Years

By Gwynne Hogan | February 27, 2015 3:49pm
Drone Captures Ice on Hudson River
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NEW YORK CITY — The last time it was this cold, Prohibition had just ended, Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and the Apollo Theater in Harlem was brand-new.

This is the coldest February since 1934, and it's the fourth coldest February since officials started keeping records in 1869, according to the National Weather Service.

The average temperature for February was 24.1 degrees as of Thursday evening. That's more than 10 degrees below the historical average temperature for February.

This year takes fourth place after 1934, 1904 and 1885, which had even lower average temperatures for the frigid month.

Temperatures will stubbornly stick in the lower 20s through Saturday, much colder than the weather is normally this time of year.

On Friday, alternate side parking regulations were suspended due to the frosty weather, though meters were still being monitored. 

By next Wednesday, temperatures could climb to the mid-40s, but the NWS still predicts below-average temperatures for the next two weeks.

Cold waters surrounding the city will keep the five boroughs chilled, Joe Pollina from the National Weather Service said.

"It could be a pretty cool spring," he said. "This is very, very cold air."